The Taduran IBF title defense went the full twelve rounds, and every judge sided with the champion. Pedro Taduran outworked Brandon Moreno at the Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, New Mexico, handing the Spaniard the first defeat of his professional career.
Taduran, a southpaw from Libon, Albay, set the tempo from the opening bell. He pressed forward behind combinations and kept the challenger on the back foot. The work was physical rather than clever: pressure, leather, a man made to retreat.
Moreno stayed competitive and landed clean punches of his own during exchanges. But the champion gradually found his rhythm and overwhelmed him, and the bout finished on a card that ran Sunday morning Philippine time.
Taduran IBF title defense
In the championship rounds Moreno tried to hold his distance, looking to score from range rather than trade. Taduran kept hunting him down until the final bell. The aggression left little doubt that he had done enough to protect the belt.
The result preserves Taduran's status as the only Filipino world champion in boxing. It is also his fourth successful title defense in a row.
Scorecards and records
All three judges scored the contest for the Filipino southpaw. One card read 120-108; the other two read 115-113. Taduran's professional record moved to 21-4-1, while Moreno, unbeaten going in, dropped to 16-1.
Analysis: the distance between a 120-108 card and two 115-113 cards describes the shape of the fight rather than a scoring controversy. Taduran's volume decided the rounds he won; Moreno's cleaner single shots kept two cards close without changing the direction of the bout.
The original report is from gmanetwork.com.