Collazo running away from Taduran?
INTERNATIONAL Boxing Federation minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran remains in hot pursuit of Puerto Rican two-belt titleholder and pound-for-pound entrant Oscar Collazo.
INTERNATIONAL Boxing Federation minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran remains in hot pursuit of Puerto Rican two-belt titleholder and pound-for-pound entrant Oscar Collazo.
There is no clear sign that Pedro Taduran, the country’s one and only world boxing champion at the moment, is fighting in a unification anytime soon.
Taduran, who holds the International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight crown, was hoping to get a call from the camp of Puerto Rican two-belt titleholder Oscar Collazo a few days ago following the result of a key fight held over the weekend in Johannesburg.
That fight saw the loss to Melvin Jerusalem in his fourth defense of the World Boxing Council strawweight title to Siyakholwa Kuse in their rematch.
Collazo’s camp and promotional banner had been eyeing Jerusalem as an opponent and his defeat, Taduran’s party had thought, would pave the way for him to face him.
But it wasn’t the case.
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American dealmaker Sean Gibbons, who runs Taduran’s affairs, said Collazo doesn’t seem to be interested in doing a unification.
The undefeated Collazo has the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization 105-pound belts.
“I reached out to them (Collazo) and there’s nothing,” reported Gibbons to DAILY TRIBUNE.
Taduran himself sounded concerned over Collazo’s sudden transformation from being outspoken to somebody who’s unaffected by calls for the two of them to fight for three straps.
“It looks like he doesn’t want to fight me,” said Taduran, who last fought in the US last month.
If efforts to stage a Collazo-Taduran showdown for three titles doesn’t materialize, there is a mandatory defense the Filipino southpaw has to deal with.
Zhu Dianxing of China, fresh from beating Filipino Ian Abe in an IBF title elimination clash almost two weeks ago in Cebu City, stands in the way.
Gibbons revealed that Zhu has some Chinese contacts willing to hold the Taduran bout in the US.
Another option is for Taduran to defend in Japan as there are three Japanese contenders in the IBF top 15: Takeshi Ishii, Katsuki Mori and Masatora Okada.
But the main priority remains Collazo.
Doing a Collazo fight won’t be a problem since a unification fight supersedes even a mandatory defense.
In the meantime, Gibbons and Taduran are keeping their fingers crossed.
