There was a time – not so long ago – when Brian Viloria fought in obscure and unlikely places for boxing like the Alameda Swap Meet in Los Angeles as he was making his way up again after seeing his career go on a tailspin.

For a fighter who had strutted his stuff in grander venues such as the MGM Grand and Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and Staples Center in Los Angeles, fighting before small crowds and small venues was like being slapped in the face.

This Saturday (Sunday in Manila), Viloria returns to the big stage for the second time as he makes the first defense of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) light-flyweight crown against Mexican Jesus Iribe at the 8,000-seat Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Last April, Viloria was back at center stage after dethroning IBF 108-lb king Ulises Solis, another Mexican, at the famed Araneta Coliseum.