Jesus Salud took the term "world title" literally in a well-traveled professional boxing career, pretty much trotting the globe for his championship fights.

He fought in South Africa, Venezuela and Italy, among other stops before defiantly, and at the cost of one title, drawing the line at going to Colombia.

Likewise, Andy Ganigan found himself in Little Rock, Ark. in pursuit of a championship, Paul Fujii waged title battles in Japan, and Carl "Bobo" Olson fought for the crown in New York, Illinois and California.

But none of them — Hawai'i-bred or attached world champions all — ever had a world title fight here, a point of history not lost on Brian Viloria, who makes the first defense of his International Boxing Federation light flyweight championship Saturday at Blaisdell Arena.

"It is really special, coming back here," said Viloria (25-2), who meets Jesus Iribe (15-5-5) in a scheduled 12-rounder at 108 pounds.

So special, in fact, that there hasn't been a world title fight here in the 28-year-old Viloria's lifetime. For a place where pro boxing has led an 80-year existence since being legalized, world title fights have been few — and far — between. The last one, Ben Villaflor's draw with Sammy Serrano at Blaisdell in 1976, occurred almost five years before Viloria's birth.

Given the current comatose state of boxing here, it was anybody's guess when the next one might come along. Or if. Even Viloria, who had talked up the possibilities with various management groups over the years, said he had begun to wonder if it would come during his career.

"There was a point where, like six years ago, after I fought at the Sheraton in 2003, (that) I thought, 'man, I don't think I'll ever get to come back,' " Viloria recalled.

So, to find himself at Blaisdell, a place where as a youngster Viloria said he watched Salud fight non-title bouts, is an opportunity that resonates with him now. Call it a pay back of sorts for his good fortune, if you will. Viloria does.

"I think it is time where I owe it to a lot of my Hawai'i fans who have been waiting for so long," Viloria said. "They've been supporting me and (it is time) for me to come back to them and all the guys who love boxing and have been big fans."

Among the eight world champions with Hawai'i ties, Viloria will be but the third to defend a title here. Villaflor, in the 1970s, and Dado Marino in 1951, were the only others.

In some ways then, Viloria will be fighting this one for more than just himself and his fans. This is also one for those — Fujii, Olson, Ganigan, Rolando Navarrete and Salud — never blessed with the chance to fight here in front of the hometown crowd and enjoy its cheers.

From the times he's been able to talk story with some of his championship-holding predecessors, Viloria has come to grasp the richness of the opportunity before him Saturday.