Pedro Taduran showcased sheer grit and relentless aggression as he successfully defended his IBF minimumweight title with a hard-fought split decision victory over Ginjiro Shigeoka on Saturday at INTEX Osaka, Japan.
This rematch reinforced Taduran’s dominance, following his stunning ninth-round stoppage of Shigeoka just 10 months earlier. Despite Shigeoka’s strategic adjustments after their bloody July 2024 bout, Taduran unleashed a relentless barrage of punches that proved overwhelming for the former Japanese champion.
Taduran (18-4-1, 13 KOs) endured punishing blows throughout the 12-round fight, but it was Shigeoka (11-2, 9 KOs) who was ultimately stretchered off the canvas, highlighting Taduran’s power and resilience.
A potential unification bout with Puerto Rico’s Oscar Collazo, who holds the WBA and WBO titles, looms next. Collazo (12-0, 9 KOs) previously defeated Filipino Melvin Jerusalem for the WBO belt in May 2023.
Interestingly, Jerusalem has since captured the WBC crown from Yudai Shigeoka—Ginjiro’s older brother—in March 2024 and defended it twice, setting the stage for a possible all-Filipino unification showdown between Taduran and Jerusalem in the near future.