IBF champ on red alert

Even in the absence of a signed contract, world boxing champion Pedro Taduran is making sure he doesn’t get caught with his pants down by an offer to fight Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo.

The reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight titleholder is reporting for training beginning Monday.

“You have to be ready just in case your team gets a call for an offer to fight,” said Taduran, who is hoping the call will come from Collazo, the World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association titlist.

Recently, a report from the United States said that Collazo is being eyed to return to the ring in February 2026 in his native Puerto Rico.

It didn’t say if Taduran or fellow champion Melvin Jerusalem, the World Boxing Council ruler, will be picked to challenge Collazo in a unification showdown.

But Collazo insists that his mission in the coming year is to unify all the straps and that only means that he has to go through Taduran and Jerusalem.

Both Taduran and Jerusalem, the country’s two world champions, are coming off title defense wins on home soil.

In late-October, Taduran outpointed the game and gutsy Christian Balunan and a few days later, it was Jerusalem who took center stage when he defeated Siyakholwa Kuse of South Africa during the Thrilla in Manila festivities.

It was Taduran’s second defense while for Jerusalem, it was his third.

Taduran feels he deserves a shot at Collazo because they haven’t met.

Jerusalem was beaten by Collazo more than two years ago but the Filipino was not 100 percent in shape given that he had arrived in America 10 days before the fight.