Taduran still the king

MANILA, Philippines — IBF minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran reaffirmed his status as the baddest man in the 105-pound division by scoring a unanimous 12-round decision over previously unbeaten Spanish challenger Brandon Moreno at the Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Saturday night (yesterday morning, Manila time). It was Taduran’s fourth defense of the title he wrested from Ginjiro Shigeoka two years ago in his second reign on the throne.

Moreno, 33, proved tougher than expected. “Nahirapan ako at matibay siya,” said Taduran. “Takbo ng takbo pero nasaktan ko rin.” Matchmaker Sean Gibbons said he expected Moreno to box from distance. “The guy has a different style,” he noted. “He did his best to beat Pedro but couldn’t do it. Pedro’s just too good.” Taduran put pressure on Moreno from the start, finding the mark repeatedly with his left straight. Moreno, ranked No. 4 by IBF, wouldn’t engage and unleashed in cautious spurts. Taduran, 30, countered like a bull confronting a matador.

The three judges had no difficulty picking the winner. Anthony Romero of Las Cruces had it a shutout, 120-108 while Esther Lopez of Albuquerque and Mark Sanchez of Midland, Texas, both saw it 115-113. Lopez and Sanchez scored seven rounds for Taduran. To seal the deal, Taduran stepped up his attack in the late rounds and took three of the last four frames on the three judges’ scorecards. Referee Allen Dominguez of New Mexico kept the match under control from the onset.

Taduran’s manager Marty Elorde said experience was a telling factor. He noted that Romero had a height advantage but it didn’t matter. Former IBF superflyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas and coach Joven Jimenez were in Taduran’s corner. Coach Erbing Penalosa failed to make the trip as he couldn’t get his US visa on time. Taduran scaled 104.8 pounds at the weigh-in the day before and 113.6 at the second weigh-in the morning of the fight. Under IBF rules, protagonists are required to do a second weigh-in the morning of the fight with an allowance of 10 pounds over the division limit.

What’s next for Taduran is a question mark. Gibbons previously tried to pit Taduran against WBO/WBA ruler Oscar Collazo but the Puerto Rican wouldn’t oblige. “Collazo is running from Pedro,” he said. “What a wimp. He had opportunities to fight Pedro for a lot of money.” Instead of standing his ground, Collazo relinquished his belts and jumped two divisions straight to flyweight at 112, avoiding Taduran even at 108. With Collazo out of the picture, Taduran may attempt to unify against WBC titlist Siyakholwa Kuse of South Africa. Taduran said he’ll take on anyone Gibbons puts in front of him.