OSAKA, Japan — Looking at Pedro Taduran, you won’t think the little dude could even hurt a fly.

“He’s such a nice person,” exclaimed cornerman Carl Peñalosa Jr., who trains the reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight champion, in an interview Wednesday.

“He’s shy and quiet and he won’t talk unless spoken to,” Peñalosa added while reviewing one of his boxer’s recent fights while relaxing at Hotel Nikko, their home since Sunday.

Peñalosa, who has called the shots in the Filipino southpaw’s corner the last three fights, insists the Bicol-bred banger is not the type to brag about his exploits, including his ninth-round crushing of Ginjiro Shigeoka last year to snatch the IBF 105-pound diadem.

Taduran and Shigeoka are on a collision course once again this Saturday at the INTEX Osaka with Peñalosa believing that the result is going to be the same as before.

Behind those squint eyes and toothy smile, Taduran is a monster inside the ring, an exact opposite of the fellow whose only vice is to look after the welfare of his family, including his wife and son and parents in the quaint and sleepy town of Libon, Albay.

“But when the bell rings, Taduran turns into an animal. He becomes ultra-aggressive and tenacious,” said Peñalosa, who has a deep boxing pedigree.

Though he wasn’t a professional fighter like his esteemed brothers Dodie Boy and Gerry and the late Jonathan, Peñalosa was an experienced amateur while representing the Philippine Army in the early 1980s.

“My batchmates include Leopoldo Cantancio, Efren Tabanas and Ruben Mares and it was a time when amateur boxing was very popular because of the regular tournaments,” he said.

In Taduran, Peñalosa sees a true warrior.

“When you take a look at him, you’d never think that he is such a tough fighter on top of the ring.”

Penalosa said grinning: “Taduran’s attitude during a fight is entirely different from what he is when he’s not laced up to fight.”

And this is the primary reason why Peñalosa is extremely confident that the title won’t be changing hands this weekend.

“He wants non-stop punching and he loves to fight, really.”

It is that key facet of Taduran’s game that Peñalosa is pinning his hopes heavily on as they attempt to leave Japanese fight fans heartbroken.

As his trainer continues to shower him with praises, Taduran just refuses to get carried away.

“He doesn’t talk and it makes him uncomfortable talking about himself.”

Cliché as it may seem, Peñalosa swears that on fight night, Taduran will let his fists do all the talking.