Bicolano boxer Pedro Taduran is the newest Filipino boxer to win a world title but did it at the expense of a compatriot as he scored a fourth-round technical knockout (TKO) win over Samuel Salva on Saturday night at Jurado Hall of the Philippine Marine Corp in Taguig City.
The win earned Taduran the vacant IBF world minimumweight title as he joined Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire and Jerwin Ancajas as current world boxing champions.
The 22-year-old Taduran, a native of Libon town, Albay, was floored in the first round but came back strong in the succeeding rounds to pull off the convincing win.
The former unbeaten Salva, 22, was peppered with power shots and was wobbly after the fourth.
Sensing that Salva was already wobbly, referee Danrex Tapdasan called a halt to the fight before the start of the fifth round.
Salva was stretchered out of the ring, an abs-cbn.com report said.
It was Taduran’s second shot at world title after he faltered in his first attempt when he lost to Chayaphon Moonsri of Thailand last August 2018 in Nakhon Sawan, Thailand.
Taduran improved to 14W-2L, 11KOs, while Salva dropped to 17W-1L, 10KOs.
