Pedro Taduran retains world crown; Jimuel Pacquiao claims 1st pro win
Pedro Taduran retained his crown and remained on course toward becoming a unified champion on Friday, April 3 (Saturday, April 4, Manila time).
Packing power and attacking without letup, Taduran stopped Mexican challenger Gustavo Perez Alvarez in the seventh round of their International Boxing Federation minimumweight championship at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.
Dominant from the third round, Taduran landed a left straight to the body that put Alvarez down for the fourth time.
The dazed Mexican was up at the count of eight, but referee Thomas Taylor waved off the bout to prevent further punishment.
Taduran put down Alvarez twice in the fourth round, first with a left body shot, followed by a combination and another body shot.
Alvarez fought on, only to be caught by another left hook that decked him late in the sixth round.
Taduran continued to bombard Alvarez with punches and finally ended the bout with another body shot at the 1:34 mark of the seventh, the round correctly picked by trainer Carl Penalosa for the stoppage.
The 29-year-old Taduran, pride of Libon, Albay, raised his record to 20-4-1 with 14 knockouts and handed Alvarez only his second loss in 18 fights.
Using his speed, Alvarez was on the offensive in the first two rounds, before Taduran got the distance and started landing his jabs and power punches in the third.
“I felt that I could put him down when I hurt him with a body blow in the third,” said Taduran, who is gunning for a unification against unbeaten Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo.
Despite his impressive performance, Taduran rated himself only a 7 out of 10.
Taduran was handed the IBF title belt by boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, who staged the fight card through Manny Pacquiao Promotions, headed by Sean Gibbons.
Meanwhile, Jimuel Pacquiao provided a glimpse of his capability with a second-round knockout of Darrick Gates.
Inspired by the presence of his legendary father Manny and mother Jinkee at ringside, the 25-year-old Jimuel caught Gates with a left and right combo that sent the former mixed martial arts fighter down on all fours.
Gates, 36, was able to beat the count, but the referee waved off the lightweight bout to hand Jimuel his first pro win.
In his debut at the same venue in November 2025, Jimuel settled for a majority draw with Brendan Lally.
After the stoppage at the 1 minute and 34 seconds mark, Pacquiao — boxing’s lone eight-division world champion — climbed into the ring to embrace his eldest child and approach the opponent’s corner.
The arrival of his partner Clarisa and their infant daughter Clara before the shortened four-rounder also boosted Jimuel’s morale, who showed tremendous improvement under lead trainer Marvin Somodio.
Although Gates is three inches taller, Jimuel was able to sneak in jabs to the face and eventually dealt Gates his second straight boxing loss. – Rappler.com
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