Taduran defense may be rematch

MANILA, Philippines —  IBF minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran walked into the Grand Ballroom of the Manila Hotel to attend the San Miguel Corp. Philippine Sportswriters Association Annual Awards Night last Monday with the title belt draped on his shoulder. Accompanying him was the brother-and-sister management team of Marty and Cucuy Elorde. Taduran and WBC minimumweight ruler Melvin Jerusalem were given Major Awards as the country’s only reigning world boxing titleholders. The Major Award is for athletes who made the largest impact in the Filipino sporting world the past year.

Aside from Taduran and Jerusalem, other Major Awardees were three-time world billiards champion Rubilen Amit, 2024 World Pool Association Predator 10-ball king Carlo Biado, the country’s 17th chess grandmaster and first since 2011 Daniel Quizon, World No. 5 amateur golfer Rianne Malixi, 2024 World Taekwondo junior champion in women’s -49kg Tachiana Mangin, 2024’s winningest jockey John Alvin Guce, horse of the year Batang Manda and Horse Owner of the Year Secretary Benhur Abalos.

Taduran, 28, is on his second reign as IBF 105-pound world champion. He won his first crown, stopping Samuel Salva in 2019 but lost it on his second defense to countryman Rene Mark Cuarto on a unanimous 12-round decision in General Santos City in 2021. Taduran failed to regain the throne and lost to Cuarto in a rematch on a technical decision in Digos in 2022. He bounced back to post two wins in a row then dethroned Ginjiro Shigeoka on a ninth-round technical knockout in Otsu, Japan, last July.

A plan for Taduran to stake his crown against countryman Ar-Ar Andales was scuttled and now, a rematch with Shigeoka looms in Japan in May. Andales isn’t ranked in IBF’s top 15. The highest-ranked IBF contender is Filipino Joey Canoy who’s No. 3. IBF’s No. 1 and No. 2 slots are vacant. Other Filipinos in the top 15 are No. 5 Jake Amparo, No. 7 Christian Balunan, No. 9 Vic Saludar and No. 10 Ian Abne. Shigeoka, 25, is ranked No. 4 and has a record of 11-1, with nine KOs and one no-contest. His Filipino victims were Amparo, Cuarto, Rey Loreto, Clyde Azarcon and Joey Lino. Taduran’s record is 17-4-1, with 13 KOs.