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International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimum weight champion Pedro Taduran eyes the same result in his rematch with former world champion Japanese Ginjiro Shigeoka on May 24 at the Intex Osaka in Japan.
“It is going to be a complete annihilation. It will be the same thing, same result that is going to happen in the first fight because the other guy is doing anything different,” Gibbons said over the weekend at the Elorde gym in Parañaque City. “Pedro will win by a knockout in the ninth or tenth round.”
Gibbons, the president of Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions, explained that the 28-year-old fighter from Libon, Albay did not go to any shortcut and sacrificed a lot of things to be a two-time world champion just like eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in his career.
Although they are both aggressive Filipino fighters, Gibbons said Taduran is fighting like Pacquiao in a much different way but same style.
“He [Taduran] reminds me in a different way of Manny Pacquiao, but his style is like a real Pac-Man he just eats them up, he keeps coming, coming,” Gibbons explained. “He fights like a machine, and he is very amazing.”
He will be back to Japan on Sunday to prepare for his world title rematch against Shigeoka, whom he dethroned last July in Otsu via ninth round technical knockout victory in their first meet up.
“This fight is important to give my family a better life. I must win this rematch to prove to everybody that my victory is not a fluke. I am now 90 percent okay,” Taduran said. “I would like to thank ma’am Cucuy Elorde and brother Martin for taking care of me and Sir Sean Gibbons.”
Taduran recalled his first ever fight in Japan last year “very memorable.”
“All my sacrifices come to fruition. I am glad because it was my first time fighting in Japan,” he added.
Gibbons expects Taduran (17-4-1 win-loss-draw record with 13 knockouts) to repeat over Shigeoka (11-1 record with nine knockouts) in their rematch.
A win by the 28-year-old Taduran of Libon, Albay would keep the Philippines with two world boxing champions aside from defending World Boxing Council (WBC) minimum weight titleholder Melvin Jerusalem.