INTERNATIONAL Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran makes his first world title defense against Chinese challenger Dian Xing Zhu in Jeju Island, South Korea on Nov. 23, 2024.
Taduran recently claimed the IBF minimumweight title by dethroning erstwhile unbeaten champion Ginjiro Shigeoka via a ninth-round technical knockout in Japan on July 28, 2024. He earned a mandatory shot at Shigeoka after beating Jake Amaparo by unanimous decision in a title eliminator in Bohol last year.
This is the 27-year-old Taduran’s second reign as IBF minimumweight champion after winning the belt in 2019 with a fourth-round stoppage of Samuel Salva in Taguig City.
The hard-hitting Zhu, on the other hand, is currently the top-ranked IBF minimumweight fighter at No. 3. The No. 1 and No. 2 spots are
currently vacant.
The 27-year-old Zhu is currently on a hot streak, having won his last nine fights since his first and only career defeat in 2020. His lone defeat came at the hands of fellow Chinese boxer Fanyong Zhang, who beat him by unanimous decision in a four-rounder.
Zhu won the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asian Silver light-flyweight belt with a 10th-round stoppage of Pinoy fighter Shane Gentallan in Bohol last year. He then snagged the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Global minimumweight crown with a third-round technical knockout of Thai pug Sanchai Yotboon also last year in Vietnam.
This year, Zhu successfully defended his WBO Global minimumweight strap three times by beating Filipino fighters Richard Garde, Marco John Rementizo, and Jerry Francisco.
Taduran is 17-4-1 with 13 knockouts, while Zhu is 14-1 with 12 knockouts. / EKA