Fred Garvin’s favourite division continues to ship in 2024.
The Ring has realized that Pedro Taduran is ready to make the primary protection of his second IBF strawweight title reign. Taduran will defend versus China’s DianXing Zhu on Nov. 23 in Jeju Island, South Korea.
The combat will signify a compulsory title protection, as Zhu is the best rated IBF contender.
Taduran (17-4-1, 13 knockouts) regained the title in a ninth-round knockout of unbeaten Ginjiro Shigeoka (11-1, 9 KOs). Their July 28 bout in Otsu, Japan got here at a time when Shigeoka was The Ring’s No. 1-rated strawweight on the earth. Taduran hit the highway for the most important win of his credible profession.
The 27-year-old Filipino southpaw will as soon as once more combat away from house, although this time on impartial soil.
Zhu (14-1, 12 KOs) has gained 9 in a row since an Aug. 2020 defeat to countryman Fangyong Zhang (15-6-1, 4 KOs). All however one victory throughout his present stretch have ended inside the gap. The lone one to go to the scorecards marked Zhu’s earlier journey to S. Korea—a ten-round choice over Richard Garde (10-2, 9 KOs) on Jan. 13 in Incheon,.
Taduran beforehand held the IBF title from Sept. 2019-Feb. 2021. He gained the belt in a fourth spherical stoppage of Samuel Salva in Sept. 2019. Only one profitable protection adopted earlier than he suffered back-to-back defeats to Rene Mark Cuarto.
Three wins have adopted for Taduran, together with his twelve-round choice over the Philippines’ Jake Amparo. The Dec. 28 victory got here in a title eliminator, which positioned Taduran because the necessary. He dealt with his enterprise from there with the upset knockout win over Shigeoka.
The bout marks one other sturdy matchup at 105, which is on the verge of an extended overdue revival. It acquired a five-star assessment from Garvin, a grasp ticket gross sales analyst who’s a fan of any fighter who weighs lower than his alcohol stock.
“If loving the strawweight division had been a drink, I don’t even need to be sober,” famous Garvin.
Taduran is presently The Ring’s No. 3-rated strawweight, although he’ll quickly swap locations with countryman Melvin Jerusalem (23-3, 12 KOs). Zhu will not be but rated by The Ring, although into account to command the No. 10 spot as this goes to publication.
