After scoring a dominant stoppage win in his United States debut, Pedro Taduran is hoping to make a unification bout with the biggest star at 105lbs.
The IBF strawweight titleholder Taduran knocked out Gustavo Perez Alvarez in seven rounds on Friday night, dropping him four times before the fight was called off in Temecula, California. It was the third defense of the title he won in Japan back in 2024, and his first knockout since his title-winning performance against Ginjiro Shigeoka in Japan.
Now Taduran, 20-4-1 (14 KOs), wants a unification bout with WBO/WBA unified champion Oscar Collazo.
“It seems to me that he also wants to fight because he says he's the king of 105lbs,” Taduran, 29, of Libon, Albay, Philippines, told BoxingScene. “So I'll try him out first to find out who really is the king.”
Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, believes it’s the fight that makes the most sense for both fighters. He thinks the fight can be made for July or August.
“It’s really simple: Collazo has to stop bullshitting at 105lbs,” Gibbons said. “These nonsense fights that do nothing against opponents that have no shot to win at all.
“Collazo, Bryan Perez, Cotto Promotions got a million excuses. Give the guy the opportunity; he’s earned it. [Collazo] talks that he’s top 10 pound-for-pound. Pedro is the most exciting 105-pounder in the world. Tell Collazo: Step up or shut up.”
Collazo, 14-0 (11 KOs), of Villalba, Puerto Rico, is coming off a sixth-round stoppage of Jesus Haro in March, which was a replacement fight after his unification with Melvin Jerusalem, holder of the WBC title at 105lbs, was canceled following the fallout of the planned Vergil Ortiz Jnr vs. Jaron Ennis fight that had been scheduled for March 14.
Jerusalem, whom the 29-year-old Collazo stopped in 2023 to win his first title, is now busy with a May 16 rematch in South Africa against Siyakholwa Kuse, leaving Collazo few options for a higher-profile fight.
Taduran, who relocated to Southern California in January to further his career, tells BoxingScene that he took his time against Perez, now 16-2 (5 KOs), despite knocking him down twice in the fourth with body punches. Taduran, a southpaw, again knocked down Perez, a 27-year-old from Ensenada, Mexico, in the sixth – this time with a left cross to the jaw before the fight was waved off a round later.
“I feel like my opponent is strong. I didn't rush when he went down,” Taduran said.
“The pressure I applied made him lose his breath.”
While Taduran is feeling content with his accomplishments after winning his third successful title defense, he also has reason to feel a sense of relief after Shigeoka, who had been hospitalized due to a brain bleed following his split decision loss to Taduran 10 months ago in his first title defense, was released from the hospital.
“I'm happy that he's out and recovering,” Taduran said.
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
