At A Glance
- The MP Promotions made the announcement on Friday, Feb. 13 with Taduran making his third title defense in the bout that will serve as the main event at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.
International Boxing Federation minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran is making his US debut to defend his crown againsGustavo Perez of Mexico on April 3.
The MP Promotions made the announcement on Friday, Feb. 13 with Taduran making his third title defense in the bout that will serve as the main event at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.
“This highly anticipated main-event bout showcases a battle between the Philippines and Mexico, which produced some of the greatest rivalries Manny Pacquiao was involved in,” said MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons.
“You can always count on an all-out war when Filipino and Mexican fighters compete against each other,” he added.
Taduran was initially reported to be in talks for a potential unification bout against World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) champion Oscar Collazo.
The negotiations seemed to have fallen through, however, with Collazo instead taking on another Filipino champion in World Boxing Council (WBC) title holder Melvin Jerusalem.
Although coming in as the heavy favorite with his five-fight win streak and 18-4-1 record, Perez is looking like a potent opponent with his own eight-bout streak.
He boasts a 16-1 record with five knockouts although most of it came after fighting at the 108lbs and 112lbs divisions. Perez is coming down to the 105lbs division just to face Taduran.