Spanish matador: Can Moreno take Taduran by the horns?
SPANISH mandatory challenger Brandon Moreno knows it will be hard to dethrone IBF champion Pedro Taduran when they clash on 7 November in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Photograph courtesy of Oscar Zardain
Somewhere in Madrid’s historic streets, an obscure Spanish fighter trains for what he believes is going to be a career-defining moment early next month in the United States.
Brandon Moreno, rated No. 4 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) in the minimumweight class, knows of the daunting task on 7 November when he challenges Filipino punching machine Pedro Taduran at the Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
“As far as I am concerned, Taduran is the best in the division. It’s a very tough fight, but I want to make the most of this opportunity and succeed in the USA,” Moreno said as quoted by his manager and promoter Oscar Zardain, who heads PCI Promotions.
Despite his beauty pageant-like answer, Moreno is not traveling to America for sight-seeing and shopping.
He and his team, also composed of his brother-trainer Angel Moreno, a former European flyweight champion and one-time world title challenger, are moving heaven and earth aimed at pulling off a massive upset.
Armed with a 16-0-0 win-loss-draw card with five knockouts, Moreno relies heavily on movement and not so much on punching power as he fought in the amateurs, his style resembling that of a matador.
“He was four times Central Area champion and three silver medals in the Nationals,” Zardain said.
Known as a relentless pursuer and volume puncher, Taduran, 29, is heavily favored to run roughshod over the mandatory challenger.
In fact, the odds are stacked heavily against Moreno, 33, who will be fighting for the first time professionally outside Spain.
Oddsmakers have installed the southpaw Taduran, who will be making the fourth defense, as the overwhelming favorite in the show being put up by the Brooklyn, New York-based Salita Promotions in partnership with Wynn Records.
To rev up for Moreno, Taduran packed his bags and flew to the US last Wednesday.
Over at his promoter Sean Gibbons’ training facility in Las Vegas, Taduran immediately showed up for training with Joven Jimenez taking the place momentarily while chief trainer Carl Penalosa renews his US visa.
Taduran hardly showed any signs of jet lag as he pounded the pair of mitts Jimenez held as though they bore the face of Moreno, the impact of each punch generating the sound produced by an assault rifle on auto mode.
Meanwhile, Moreno is working doubly hard at the Angelo Moreno Boxing Gym near Las Ventas, according to Zardain, trying to perfect the tactics meant to mess up Taduran’s bulldozing style.