Taduran nears title defense vs Spaniard

Everything points to a mandatory defense by reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran against Brandon Moreno of Spain on 7 November.

Several venues are being considered as Taduran’s handlers, led by Elorde siblings Cucuy and Marty and American dealmaker Sean Gibbons, are currently working to put a deal in place the soonest possible time.

Moreno, unbeaten in 15 fights with six knockouts, is listed at No. 4 by the IBF in the 105-pound class.

The latest rankings were released on Wednesday.

Moreno will assume the role of mandatory contender in lieu of Chinese Zhu Dianxing, who is now embroiled in a management and promotional mess.

But Zhu remains rated on top of the ratings and should be prioritized during a search for a nee challenger in the aftermath of the Taduran-Moreno clash.

Taduran is already in training mode and eager to return to action following his third defense of the crown last April in Temecula, California, where he stopped Mexican Gustavo Perez Alvarez.

Meanwhile, two other fighters represented by Gibbons — flyweights Miel Fajardo and Arvin Paciones — also made the latest IBF roster.

The heavy-handed Fajardo kept his stranglehold of the No. 1 spot and the status as mandatory challenger to flyweight titleholder Masamichi Yabuki of Japan.

At No. 6 is the unbeaten Paciones, a sweet spot for a fighter in search of a world title opportunity.

Fajardo was installed as mandatory to Yabuki last April when he needed just 65 seconds to crush Argentina Tobias Reyes in their title elimination match.

Just recently, the IBF issued an order for Yabuki to begin negotiations for a defense against Fajardo.

Gibbons believes the title fight will take place in Japan sometime in October or November.