A WORLD title unification bout against Oscar Collazo is still at the top of International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran’s wish list.
“If we’re able to get Collazo then it will be the priority. It still depends. I’ll choose Collazo because he has two belts,” Taduran said.
Chinese brawler Dianxing Zhu just earned mandatory challenger status after walking away with a unanimous decision win over Ian Abne in an action-packed IBF minimumweight world title eliminator bout in the main event of Fistco and Chao Sy International Promotions’ “Fist of Fury X - The Eliminator” last Saturday night, May 9, 2026, at the
Cebu Coliseum.
Taduran said that Zhu could be next if ever his team won’t reach an agreement with Collazo, who holds the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight belts.
“They are still working on my fight. It’ll be around August or September,” said Taduran.
According to Taduran, there’s a possibility that the fight with Collazo will be included in the undercard of the highly anticipated rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September.
“I’m confident that I can beat Collazo if I have the right conditioning and training,” said Taduran.
Though Taduran’s focus for now is on Collazo, he was impressed with the performance of Zhu and is also eager to face him inside the ring.
“His style is to my advantage because I won’t have to chase him,” he said.
Taduran, along with his manager Cucuy Elorde, were veteran Cebuano boxing promoter Lorenzo “Chao” Sy’s special guests in last Saturday’s boxing event.
Some of the biggest names in Philippine boxing were also in attendance in the “Fist of Fury X” show - the likes of four-division world champion Nonito Donaire Jr., two-division world titleholder Dodie Boy Peñalosa, longest reigning Filipino world champion Donnie Nietes, and legendary boxing promoter Antonio Lopez Aldeguer. / EKA
