PEDRO Taduran will end 2026 as, still, the IBF minimumweight champion.
The Filipino southpaw inflicted the first career loss of Spain’s Brandon Moreno by scoring a unanimous decision in their 12-round title bout Sunday (Manila time) at the Kiva Stadium in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The champion pressed the action against the 33-year-old challenger from Madrid, who is fighting outside of Spain and vying for a world championship for the very first time.
Taduran outworked Moreno with his volume of punches on the way to retaining his 105-lbs title for the fourth straight time.
Judge Anthony Moreno scored the entire 12-round bout for the Filipino at 120-108, while Esther Lopez and Mark Sanchez both called it at 115-113.
The champion raised his record to 21-4-1 with 14 KOs despite missing the presence of regular trainer Carl Penalosa.
The tandem of trainer Joven Jimenez and former IBF super-flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas manned the corner of Taduran.
In retaining his crown, Taduran remains the lone Filipino world champion, at the moment.
Romero appeared spent in the later rounds, as he suffered his first loss as a professional, dropping to 16-1 with just 5 KOs.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
