Filipino boxer Pedro Taduran has successfully retained his IBF world minimumweight title after a seventh round technical knockout win against Mexican Gustavo Perez Alvarez on Friday night (Saturday in the Philippines) at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.
This was the Libon, Albay-native Taduran’s third successful defense of the world boxing championship he won against Japanese fighter Ginjiro Shigeoka on May, 2025.
After a slow start in the first two rounds, Taduran picked up his intensity in the third round before going all out in the fourth frame with two knockdowns against Alvarez via body shot.
Taduran maintained his aggression in the next three rounds, knocking down Alvarez anew in the sixth round with a body hit before finishing him off with another knockdown in the seventh.
Taduran is aiming at the two other world minimumweight titlist in unified WBO and WBA champion Oscar Collazo and compatriot and WBC title holder Melvin Jerusalem.
With the outcome, Taduran has improved his record to 20-4-1, with 14 stoppage wins, while Alvarez slipped to a 16-2-0 card, including five knockout wins.
Meanwhile, former world champion Marlon Tapales sustains unanimous decision (96-94, 98-92, 97-93) loss against Japanese Yukinori Oguni at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. (AC)
