Filipino-Spanish War: Taduran sizes up mandatory challenger
DEFENDING champion Pedro Taduran (left) and Spanish mandatory challenger Brandon Moreno size each other up during a press conference hyping their International Boxing Federation minimumweight title fight taking place Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Photograph COURTESY OF Viva Promotions
Pedro Taduran’s fourth defense of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight crown is almost under way.
The Filipino southpaw finally came face-to-face with Moreno during Thursday’s presser in Albuquerque in New Mexico where their scheduled 12-rounder takes place.
Taduran and his team, made up of Joven Jimenez and former world champion Jerwin Ancajas — touched down in Albuquerque on Wednesday from Las Vegas.
Also part of Taduran’s party are training assistant Jino Rodrigo, Brendan Gibbons and Marty Elorde, who co-manages the Bicol-born banger alongside his sister Cucuy.
Before heading to New Mexico, Taduran set up camp in Sin City with the help of Jimenez and Ancajas, who filled the void left by Carl Peñalosa, who could not secure a US visa.
In Peñalosa’s absence, Jimenez and Ancajas stepped up to the plate, according to Sean Gibbons, who made a last-minute move to include Taduran on this weekend’s show being put up by Salita Promotions of Brookyln, New York.
Fortunately, Taduran wasn’t letting up on his training at the Elorde Sports Center despite efforts to bring Moreno to Manila failed.
At one point, the plan was to hold the fight in Madrid but it could not also be made.
“I knew that my handlers were working on something for me,” said Taduran, who enters the ring the heavy favorite.
“As a fighter, my job is to get ready and stay in shape,” added Taduran, whose last fight saw him stop Mexican Brandon Moreno in California seven months ago.
He carries a 20-4-1 win-loss-draw card with 14 knockouts while Moreno, who will be fighting for the first time outside Spain, packs a 16-0-0 slate with five knockouts.
“I have seen a couple of his fights on video and he loves to move a lot,” said Taduran.
Moreno, who is about two inches taller at 5-5, is ranked fourth by the IBF.
All the appointed officials — three judges, referee and fight supervisor — are from New Mexico.
The judges are Anthony Romero and Esther Lopez and Mark Sanchez while Allen Dominguez is the referee and Levi Martinez is the fight supervisor.