By Nick Giongco
Copyright tribune
Reigning International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran swears he is not looking past fellow Filipino Christian Balunan as they enter the final four weeks of training for their 26 October showdown at the San Andres Coliseum in Malate, Manila.“My opponent is not the type to take for granted,” Taduran said during a break in training at the Elorde Sports Center in Parañaque.Besides, if he gets upset by Balunan, his target of facing Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo next year vanishes in thin smoke.“He (Balunan) gets that chance,” said Taduran, who will be making the second defense of the IBF 105-pound crown he had won by stopping Ginjiro Shigeoka in July 2024.In his first defense, Taduran battled Shigeoka in a rematch last May in Osaka and won by unanimous decision that left Shigeoka in a coma until now.There have been talks about Taduran and Collazo, holder of the World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association and even The Ring magazine straps, colliding in early-2026 but that is dependent on what’s going to happen in the Balunan bout.Aside from Taduran, the other champion in the 105-pound category — Melvin Jerusalem in the World Boxing Council — is also targeting Collazo.But before Taduran begins thinking about Collazo, Taduran is focused on Balunan, the Cebu City bet who holds an unbeaten win-loss-draw mark of 12-0-0 with seven knockouts.“He is tall and he is hungry (to win a world title),” added the southpaw Taduran, who totes an 18-4-1 card with 13 knockouts.Balunan, who hails from the town of Bogo, the birthplace of Flash Elorde, is trained by two-time world title challenger Edito Villamor.Sean Gibbons, utilizing Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions, is staging the Taduran-Balunan clash that will also feature solid undercard fights, including hot prospects AJ Paciones, Miel Fajardo, Esneth Domingo and Noli James Maquilan.
