Just as Pinoy boxing fans were mourning the latest loss of one of our living boxing legends in Flash Donaire, Pedro Taduran (20-4, 14KOs) gave us a soothing balm for our fistic woes as he successfully defended his IBF minimumweight (strawweight/105 lbs) world title against Mexico’s Gustavo “Smiley” Perez Alvarez. The fight took place at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California, marking Taduran’s US debut.
THE FIGHT. In the early rounds, Perez who is not exactly known for his punching power with a record of 16-2, 5KOs boxed the the Filipino southpaw behind some impressive right jabs followed up by left straights. Perez is coming off an eight-fight win streak while Taduran also had a six-fight win streak of his own.
For his part, “Kid Heneral” responded with his own artillery but was not quite able to land as cleanly as he would have wanted to. Instead, he bullied his opponent with relentless pressure, showcasing his durability.
However, things took a turn in Round 4 when Taduran shifted his attack to the body which slowed down Perez’s engine. A left straight to the body when Perez was backed up against the ropes netted the fight’s first knockdown.
In Round 5 Perez’s output waned and in Round 6 another knockdown dramatically turned the tide of the fight.
From then on, Perez was in survival mode and while he was backing up in a defensive posture, another left straight from the advancing Pinoy found its mark which resulted in another knockdown. He got up, but the referee had seen enough and called for the denouement of the fight.
That fight showed how much Taduran has improved, especially under his new trainer, Carl Penalosa, and many described that fight as a statement performance.
PROGNOSIS. This was Taduran’s third successful defense of the IBF title, which he regained in 2024. He also previously held it from 2019 to 2021.
This win keeps Taduran as one of only two active Filipino world champions, the other one being Melvin Jerusalem, who holds the WBC version of the minimumweight class.
That makes two Pinoys holding two titles in this division. Apparently, Taduran wants to face off against Oscar Collazo of Puerto Rico, who holds the World Boxing Association title. To recall, Collazo once defeated Jerusalem, but a planned rematch did not push through due to promotional issues.
This situation becomes interesting if Taduran defeats Collazo because we could potentially have a Pinoy vs Pinoy world title unification match.
LAST ROUND. It’s on a dear friend, Liezl Marie Ang-Siu, who celebrates her birthday today. Cheers!