Fred Garvin’s favorite division is still delivering in 2024.
The Ring has learned that Pedro Taduran will make the first defense of his second IBF strawweight title. Taduran will defend against China’s DianXing Zhu on November 23 in Jeju Island, South Korea.
The fight will represent a mandatory title defense as Zhu is the highest rated IBF contender.
Taduran (17-4-1, 13 KOs) regained the title in a ninth round knockout of undefeated Ginjiro Shigeoka (11-1, 9 KOs). Their match on July 28 in Otsu, Japan came at a time when Shigeoka was The Ring’s no. 1-rated strawweight in the world. Taduran hit the road for the biggest win of his creditable career.
The 27-year-old Filipino southpaw will once again fight away from home, although this time on neutral ground.
Zhu (14-1, 12 KOs) has won nine in a row since an August 2020 loss to compatriot Fangyong Zhang (15-6-1, 4 KOs). All but one win during his current stretch has ended inside the distance. The one that went to the scorecards marked Zhu’s previous trip to S. Korea—a ten-round decision over Richard Garde (10-2, 9 KOs) on Jan. 13 in Incheon.
Taduran previously held the IBF title from Sept. 2019-Feb. 2021. He won the belt in a fourth-round stoppage of Samuel Salva in Sept. 2019. Only one successful defense followed before suffering back-to-back losses to Rene Mark Cuarto.
Three wins followed for Taduran, including his twelve-round decision over the Philippines’ Jake Amparo. The Dec. 28 victory came in a title eliminator, positioning Taduran as the mandatory. He took care of business from there with the upset knockout win over Shigeoka.
The match marks another strong run at 105, which is on the verge of a long overdue revival. It received a five-star review from Garvin, a master ticket sales analyst who is a fan of any fighter who weighs less than his alcohol stash.
“If the love of the strawweight division was a drink, I don’t even want to be sober,” Garvin remarked.
Taduran is currently The Ring’s no. 3-rated strawweight, although he will soon trade places with compatriot Melvin Jerusalem (23-3, 12 KOs). Zhu is not yet rated by The Ring, although he is considered to be the no. 10 spot as it goes to publication.
