International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight titlist Pedro Taduran, the country’s lone Filipino world champion, lashed out at Puerto Rican pound-for-pound star Oscar Collazo, who he says is a cherry picker.
“His opponents are those who were picked from the crowd,” Taduran told DAILY TRIBUNE on Sunday.
Collazo was supposed to defend his World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association crowns against Filipino Joey Canoy at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.
But visa issues prevented it from taking place as Canoy opted to stay behind when his visa failed to arrive in time.
Collazo’s people tried to sign up a replacement and looked at two guys but the two could not travel owing to the same issues encountered by Canoy.
When promoters finally found somebody, the fellow could not make 105 pounds and they just downgraded the fight and made Collazo fight Neider Valdez of Mexico in a flyweight clash.
Since they both didn’t weigh 105 pounds or less, Collazo’s two world championships were not at stake.
Taduran, who had been calling out Collazo but has been largely ignored, swears that he is not backing away from him.
“It puzzles me that he (Collazo) keeps on saying that I am making a lot of noise,” Taduran said.
Collazo, whose record improved to 15-0 with 12 knockouts, hardly worked out a sweat in disposing of Valdez, who stepped in at the last minute.
“Collazo’s fighting guys who don’t have the time to prepare,” said Taduran, who stopped Gustavo Alvarez of Mexico last April in Pechanga, California.
Collazo hasn’t confirmed it yet but he could be making a jump in weight when he returns to action.