Filipino champion Pedro Taduran displayed his readiness during Friday’s open workout at the Elorde Sports Center in Parañaque with his lead trainer going as far as saying Japanese challenger Ginjiro Shigeoka is in for a big surprise.

The clash for Taduran’s International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight title — a rematch of their bloody July 2024 brawl in Otsu City — will be held 24 May in Osaka.

“The fighter Shigeoka is going to face next week is an improved version of last year,” Carl Peñalosa, he of the fighting Peñalosa family, told reporters after the close to two-hour workout.

“Taduran has worked on improving his speed and power,” added Peñalosa, brother of two-division world champions Dodie Boy and Gerry Peñalosa.

These upgrades would be pivotal in their bid to ruin Shigeoka’s plans for revenge.

“Once Pedro lands a good one, he won’t hesitate to throw more solid blows because we have to win this fight by knockout. I don’t like this going 12 rounds because the decision will likely favor Shigeoka,” Peñalosa said.

While Peñalosa was a bit vocal in his pre-fight assessment, Taduran was somehow mellower.

“It’s just that I trained long and hard,” Taduran, 28, said, noting that he is not taking Shigeoka lightly given his caliber. “I had a long camp we did everything in training. I am ready, ready to defend the crown.”

But Peñalosa insists Shigeoka remains a dangerous opponent.

“His hook and uppercut are his best punches, the same blows that landed heavily on Pedro in their first fight,” Peñalosa added.

As Taduran and his team prepare to leave for Japan, the management facet of the champion’s affairs are already being planned out by Elorde siblings Marty and Cucuy Elorde, who have a solid partnership with American dealmaker Sean Gibbons.

Taduran said that a convincing win over Shigeoka could lead to a much bigger bout down the line.

“The target is a unification fight with Oscar Collazo of Puerto Rico, the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization champion.”

Gibbons, speaking from General Santos City, told DAILY TRIBUNE that his son Brendan is going to be in Osaka to represent him, stressing that he will move heaven and earth to award Taduran a financially-rewarding fight.

“When he wins, I will do my best to make that Collazo fight so he gets a big payday,” Gibbons said.

But if Taduran isn’t focused, Shigeoka could change all that.