Taking no chances

American dealmaker Sean Gibbons is moving heaven and earth to stage Pedro Taduran’s fourth and mandatory defense of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight crown on Philippine soil.

Gibbons has promotional rights over Taduran, who is mandated to defend the IBF 105-pound strap against Zhu Dianxing of China in October.

Dianxing assumed the status of mandatory challenger when he defeated Filipino Ian Abne last May in Cebu City.

There is also a proposal by Zhu’s camp to import Taduran to Luzhou in China but Gibbons told DAILY TRIBUNE that he will not let it happen because of the risks.

Defending on hostile territory poses serious risks and Gibbons is after Taduran’s welfare, making sure he doesn’t end up handing the crown to Zhu on a silver platter.

Since snatching the IBF belt from Ginjiro Shigeoka of Japan two years ago in Otsu City, Taduran has defended it three times, the first defense against Shigeoka in a rematch and compatriot Christian Balunan on October last year in Manila.

In his third defense only last April, Taduran stopped Mexican Gustavo Perez Alvarez in Temecula, California.

“I’m working on this defense by Pedro in the Philippines in October,” said Gibbons, who provided the financial muscle in Taduran’s last two defenses.

Lending Gibbons a hand in making the fight possible are Taduran’s managers, Marty and Cucuy Elorde.

Taduran, 29, is the lone Filipino world champion at the moment following the loss of Melvin Jerusalem in his fourth defense of the World Boxing Council strawweight plum in Johannesburg, South Africa, last May.

Jerusalem lost on points on enemy territory, something Gibbons fears could happen if Taduran decides to face Zhu on Chinese ground.

Taduran holds a 20-4-1 win-loss-draw record with 14 knockouts while Zhu, a right-hander, packs a 17-1-0 slate with 14 knockouts.