The real Mike Tyson, the former world heavyweight champion who is now a vegetarian and is trying to live the clean life, wants nothing to do with Brian “Hawaiian Punch” Viloria. Everybody knows just what led to Tyson’s downfall: One drink too many.

However, the same does not hold true with Mexican slugger Hernan Marquez, who goes by the sobriquet “Tyson.” Marquez craves for a sip of the Hawaiian Punch. In fact, he wants his drink visibly shaken and not just stirred. On Sunday (Manila time), at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles, Marquez will get his chance to engage Viloria in a drinking, err punching, session when they collide in a rare unification showdown for the World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) flyweight (112 pounds) titles.

WBA champ Marquez totes an impressive record of 32-2 with 25 knockouts, but he has a lot to prove opposite boxers who have Filipino blood running in their veins. Marquez’s two losses have come against Filipinos and the last one even left him nearly decapitated.

A native of Sonora, Mexico, Marquez developed a passion for boxing at age 11, after watching in action countryman and then World Boxing Council lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo. Marquez made the big jump to the pro ranks at age 15 and was unbeaten in 27 fights, when he bowed to unheralded Filipino flyweight Richie Mepranum in March 2010. Sarangani province native Mepranum’s punches could not tear a paper bag, but his boxing skills allowed him to run rings around Marquez. The Mexican launched a ferocious assault in the last few rounds but the Filipino weathered the storm to escape with a 10-round decision.

Convinced that the loss to Mepranum was due to weight problems, Marquez moved up to the super flyweight class (115 pounds) in July 2010 and faced then WBA interim champion Nonito Donaire Jr. Facing a taller and faster opponent, Marquez was butchered in eight rounds.

With nowhere to go, Marquez returned to the flyweight division. After closing 2010 with two victories, Marquez fought for the WBA flyweight title on April 2, 2011 opposite Panama’s Luis “Nica” Concepcion. Concepcion was making his fourth defense of the title and was the heavy favorite. In a thrill-a-minute punchaton, Marquez and Concepcion both kissed the canvas in the opening round. Marquez rebounded by knocking down Concepcion twice in the succeeding rounds before the referee stopped the fight with Concepcion bloodied and battered.

Marquez, 24, is on a seven-fight winning streak (five by knockouts) heading to the Viloria fight. The pint-sized champion posted two successful defenses of the title last year, halting Filipino Edrin Dapudong in three rounds and bamboozling Concepcion in just one round in their return encounter. Marquez’s last two wins came against Filipinos, non-title decisions over Mepranum and Fernando “Trigger” Lumacad.

Marquez is leaving no stone unturned as he gears up for Viloria. The WBA champ hired the services of noted American trainer Robert Garcia (who also trains Donaire Jr.) and is reportedly in the best condition of his career. Viloria, though, remains the betting favorite. The WBO flyweight king, 31-3, 18 knockouts, offers a wealth of experience and is enjoying a career revival after losing his International Boxing Federation light flyweight (108 pounds) title to Carlos Tamara of Colombia in January 2010. Viloria, 31, is on a five-bout winning streak that includes impressive victories over Mexicans Julio Cesar Miranda and Giovani Segura. Viloria won the WBO flyweight diadem in July 2011 by outpointing Miranda and five months later registered his first defense of the crown with a devastating eighth round stoppage of the hard-punching Segura. In his most recent outing, May 2012, Viloria stopped Mexican veteran Omar Nino Romero in nine rounds.

Marquez-Viloria figures to be a very exciting donnybrook. Marquez loves to wade in and throw unadulterated punches. Then again, WBA champ has problems handling fleet-footed boxers and offers a defense that has as many holes as the ozone layer. Viloria is far from being a slippery boxer, but he knows how to properly feint and move his head. Moreover, the WBO champ’s right straight can make a grown man cry for his mother. The chink in Viloria’s armor is his conditioning, but he appears to have cured the problem since bulking up. Marquez will get a taste of the “Hawaiian Punch” and the prevailing opinion is that once it happens, the Mexican will be headed for a “skyfall.”

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