World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Brian Viloria is expected to return to sparring from a hand injury in about three weeks though his next fight might be pushed back to July, his manager said yesterday.

That's the tentative timetable pending a final examination of the broken bone in Viloria's right hand in two weeks, Gary Gittelsohn said. Viloria suffered the injury early in his 12-round unanimous decision over Jose Antonio Aguirre on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas.

Gittelsohn said an orthopedic specialist removed the soft cast on Viloria's hand last week in the Philippines and said the healing is progressing. "Brian is clearly on the mend and we hope to have him back in the gym and hitting the first week of April," Gittelsohn said.

He said a Los Angeles specialist, who operated on Viloria's hand five years ago, will take a final look at the injury before sparring resumes.

But even if the unbeaten Viloria (19-0, 12 knockouts) makes the April timetable, he likely wouldn't fight until "early-to-mid July," Gittelsohn said. "Once he gets the green light, I think he'll need 6 to 8 weeks (of gym work) from that point." That would take him out of consideration for a place on the June 10 card at Madison Square Garden that had been under consideration.

Viloria is being pushed to make a mandatory defense against the No. 1 contender, Juanito Rubillar of the Philippines, and New York, Hawai'i and the Philippines have been mentioned as possibilities.

"We're keeping all of our options available," said Gittelsohn, who called a bout in the Philippines "remote" for the time being.