Opportunity knocks and Balasi answers

Boxing has never quite given Michael Balasi the lifestyle he wished.

At 33 years old, Friday night might be his last chance to break through in the sport he has always loved.

The 13-year professional from Hawaii will showcase his skills in the opening bout of ESPN2’s "Friday Night Fights," telecast this week at 4 p.m. Hawaii time.

Balasi (10-3, 7 KOs) will fight up-and-coming welterweight prospect Dusty Hernandez Harrison (20-0, 11 KOs) in a 143-pound bout at the Pala Casino Resort and Spa in California.

Balasi got the call a little more than three weeks ago and flew to California on Wednesday morning after a quick training camp thrown together at the last minute.

The odds are stacked against him, but that didn’t stop Balasi from immediately accepting the bout.

"Opportunities are rare, so when you get the call, you might as well take it, because you never know what can happen," Balasi said. "I know the odds are on their side because they were already training and we weren’t until we got the call, but what else are you going to get in Hawaii? This can open doors for us."

Waipahu’s Brian Viloria came out of Hawaii to become a multiple-time world champion, but his success hasn’t translated to the next generation of fighters.

Viloria headlined events at the Blaisdell Arena in 2009 and 2011, trying to give the sport a boost locally, but neither event drew significantly well.

Balasi fought on both cards, earning two impressive wins, but it never translated to anything professionally.

After his win over Van Oscar Penovaroff in July 2011, Balasi failed to get another fight until 2013. He fought a pair of 10-0 fighters in California last year, losing both by TKO.

"It’s been tough for fighters here because we just don’t have anywhere to fight," Balasi said. "You’ve got to take advantage of a fight like this and put on a show and make people realize there are fighters (in Hawaii)."

In order to support his three kids, Balasi pays the bills with his regular job as a truck driver.

He works more than 40 hours a week at his day job and still finds time to make it to the gym to train two to three times a week.

He had to ramp that up to almost every day for the past three weeks.

"I feel good. I think I’m a little more in shape than I have been," Balasi said. "I know I’ve only got one shot, so they at least know that I’ll be going in there looking to take it to him and get right up in his face."

Viloria to fight this month

Viloria will return to the ring after nearly a year away to make one more title run.

He will fight a to-be-determined opponent March 29 in Las Vegas as part of a Top Rank "Solo Boxeo Tecate" card.

If it goes well, Viloria will compete on Top Rank’s next event in Macau, China, on May 31, manager Gary Gittelsohn confirmed this week.