The guessing game continues.
Oscar Collazo, the Puerto Rican World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization minimumweight champion, is playing games with fellow titleholders Pedro Taduran and Melvin Jerusalem.
But in reality, Collazo is also messing up the minds of Filipino boxing fans with his decision to stay mum on the identity of his targeted Filipino foe.
Of course, we can’t blame him for behaving this way.
It is his group that’s going to promote the fight and they can dictate the terms of just about everything — not just the date, venue and purses.
What makes it kind of clever on the part of Collazo is the way he evades questions about who he would fight next, opting to post cryptic messages while also in the thick of training.
You see, Collazo has been in training mode in his native Puerto Rico since December when Taduran and Jerusalem were kind of enjoying the fruits of their labor for having kept their respective titles in late-October.
Taduran made the second defense of the International Boxing Federation diadem on 25 October, repulsing compatriot Christian Balunan.
A few days later, Jerusalem kept the World Boxing Council belt by slipping past South African Siyakholwa Kuse.
And because it was the holiday season, Jerusalem and Taduran were in a festive mood and only got back to work after Christmas Day although Jerusalem’s camp swears their fighter was working out the whole month of December in Cebu.
Anyway, the fact is Collazo was already well into his training program for his next fight while the two Filipinos were singing Christmas carols.
Collazo needs to take advantage of something they have because Jerusalem is not the same guy he beat up in May 2023.
And by the way, Jerusalem could only arrive in America ten days before the fight since his travel documents were released late.
This time around, Jerusalem’s people are not going to be fooled into the same mistake of getting to America that late.
“The plan now is to stay there at least a month before the fight so Melvin gets rid of jet lag and gets adjusted with the local conditions,” a Jerusalem handler said.
As for Taduran, Collazo faces a punching machine he’s never encountered before.
And if Collazo ends up choosing him over Jerusalem, he gets to face somebody who’s well-adjusted to US time because the Bicol native’s been in America since the first day of 2026.
Either way, Collazo’s going to find himself in a very tough fight the next time he gets back into the ring.
The only way he is not going to walk the tightrope is if he defends against a handpicked opponent.