U.S.-bound Taduran set for title defense

Pedro Taduran thought all was lost when efforts to stage his fourth defense of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight crown in Spain fell by the wayside.

But just as Taduran was about to lose hope, his American promoter Sean Gibbons pulled off a coup at the last minute by securing him a spot on a 7 November show in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The opponent remains the same: Brandon Moreno.

“I am so happy that I will be defending my title next month,” Taduran told DAILY TRIBUNE after his last workout on Philippine soil.

Taduran leaves for the United States on Wednesday and will head straight to the Knuckleheads Boxing Gym in Las Vegas.

The fight with Moreno, Taduran’s fourth defense of the IBF 105-pound title he had won in July 2024 in Japan, takes place at the Kiva Auditorium, a 2,300-seat venue in downtown Albuquerque.

Last time Taduran defended the title, he stopped Gustavo Perez Alvarez of Mexico in Temecula, California.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey-based IBF has formally approved the Taduran-Moreno slugfest.

“A copy of the official correspondence has been forwarded to the involved parties and the governing body is working on the appointment of the officials — referee and three judges — who are working the title championship fight.

The southpaw Taduran holds a 20-4-1 win-loss-draw card with 14 knockouts while Moreno packs an unbeaten mark of 16-0-0 with five knockouts.

The Filipino is 29 years old while Moreno, who hails from Madrid where he has almost exclusively fought, is 33.

Taduran, originally from Libon in Albay, is the country’s lone world boxing champion.