NARVACAN, Ilocos Sur – Win or loss, he is still our champion.

This was the reaction of close relatives of Filipino-Hawaiian boxer Brian Viloria who lost in only his second defense of the World Boxing Council (WBC) light flyweight crown to a more aggressive Mexican challenger Omar Niño Romero via unanimous decision last Friday (Manila Time) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Rodel Viloria, Brian’s uncle and the youngest brother of Brian’s father, Benjamin, said for their family Brian will always be their “boxing hero.”

Rodel is extremely confident that Brian could easily overcome his loss and bounce back to retake his crown as his nephew possesses strong positive attitudes from any ordeal.

“When Brian lost during his amateur year representing the U.S. in the Olympics, he easily regained his boxing composure,” he said.

This was shown, he said, by Brian’s successive wins after he moved up to professional rank till he became WBC light flyweight champion, he said.

“His loss to Romero is a great motivation to Brian and we’re expecting a better Brian in the future,” he added.

Before he lost to Romero, Viloria owned an impressive record of 19 wins, 12 of them by knockout, against no loss.

Joy Viloria, a high school teacher in Narvacan town, advised Brian to make it good in his next fight.