Joel Taduran and I had a long chat the other day. I reminded him that I was one of the spectators in that jampacked astrodome in Sablayan during his sorry loss against the ex-Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga. The event was presented by Knuckleheads Pro Boxing Fraternity and that was seven years ago this year.
Boxing runs in the veins of Joel Taduran. His brother Joseph is a former amateur boxer and another brother named Jorge later turned professional. Not to be counted out of course is Pedro, Jr., who held the IBF mini-flyweight crown from 2019 to 2021.
What his brothers failed to accomplish Pedro Jr. filled up for them. Joel is so proud of his kid brother Pedro, Jr.
Joel Taduran told me that he was suffering from diarrhea during the Barriga fight and then showed me his photo showing him so dehydrated. He was as skin and bones as a kite. Barriga defeated him via UD in that 10-round fight back home.
At that time, Barriga had not fought outside of the country while Taduran already boxed outside the Philippines, particularly in Japan, China, and Indonesia, and that made him a journeyman. He fought twice in Japan.
Taduran’s first fight abroad was at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo where he was frustrated by Toshiyuri Igarashi, a former world champion, on May 7, 2016, via UD.
Taduran’s second fight in Japan was when he was TKOed by Junto Nakatani on April 16, 2017. That was before he fought Barriga, also seven years had passed.
Joel Taduran remembered his fight against the then-budding Japanese slugger. He said, “Magaling talaga yun. Bumagsak ako sa Round 2 pero lumaban pa ako hangang sa tinamaan ulit ako ng solid sa 4th Round hanggang sa itinigil na ng referee ang laban. Pero hindi ako groggy noon, solid punch lang talaga.” (He [Nakatani] is good. I fell in Round 2 but still fought until I was hit by a solid punch again in the 4th Round until the referee stopped the fight. But I wasn't groggy then, just hit by a solid punch.)
He even mentioned that most of the time in Japan, if you are hit by a solid blow, there is the tendency for the ref will stop the fight thinking that they have already seen it all.
Talking about Nakatani (26-0, 19 KOs), he is scheduled to face Alexandro Santiago in Japan on February 24, 2024. The co-main event is the fight of Jerwin Ancajas against Takuma Inoue.
When asked who he will root for between Nakatani and Santiago, he said it’s 50/50 but highly recognizes his former rival’s brinkmanship based on the Japanese’s latest performance against the Mexican Argi Cortes last year, also in Japan.
Taduran said that Nakatani utilizes his height advantage. He explained, “Kapag mataas siya (Nakatani) sa kalaban, maintain niya ang distance. Sa galaw ng kalaban siya buma-base kaya mabilis niya mabasa ang laro.” (When [Nakatani] is taller than his opponent, he can maintain the distance. He based his attacks on his rival’s movements and he can read the game quickly.)
Nakatani was just 19 when he faced Taduran who was then 24 years old.
I admire Taduran for slugging it out against the soon-to-be-strongest Japanese fighter besides Naoya Inoue today and for setting his foot twice on arguably the sport’s most hostile host country.
Taduran now works in Macau training high-caliber Asian boxers and is employed by Macau Boxing House. It is a boxing gym aimed at training boxers to compete in highly competitive championships all over Asia.
Regardless of their numbers and other career stats, boxers who once fought for the flag like Taduran should rightfully be remembered and acknowledged.
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(Photo:
Facebook account of Don Joel Taduran)
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