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Philippines, 01 Dec 2024 |
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Pedro Taduran, " The Little Rock" By Teodoro Medina Reynoso PhilBoxing.com Sun, 08 Sep 2019  Pedro Taduran. I dont know how newly-minted IBF world minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran got his nom de guerre as "The General". Perhaps from a military top brass by the same surname and hailing from the same Bicol region. But he looked more of a well trained, equipped and armed elite shocktrooper in there especially in the opening round of his title clash with Samuel Salva who essayed the role of a ring general at that early stage. By the middle part of second round however, Taduran had turned the tide of the battle to his favor and the third and fourth round had been transformed to a mopping up operation that forced Salva to surrender on his stool than face the prospect of a rout, and worst, a massacre. Still that did not evoke memory of an epic field commander or marshall of the army. In fact, that performance reminded me more of a great Panamanian fighter whose surname does not have the first two letters of Pedro's paternal surname: Roberto Duran. Closer to home, Taduran's ferocious showing reminded me of another Bicol ring warrior who sowed terror in the lightweight and junior welterweight division in the late 60s through the 70s. Pedro "The Rock" Adigue from Palanas, Masbate who sturdily reigned as Philippine and Oriental lightweight champion and later won the WBC junior welterweight championship by defeating American Adolph Pruitt at the Araneta Colesium in 1968, ending the country's drought in world boxing title after the defeat of the great Flash Elorde more than a year before. Adigue was a precursor of our Pambansang Kamao, Senator Manny Pacquiao for like the fighting legislator, he dared fight in the territory of boxing big boys despite standing no taller than 5-7 and weighing barely 140 lbs as his heaviest. He once fought then fast rising future Japanese junior middleweight world champion Tadashi Mihara in a non title bout, breaking the Japanese fighter's jaw and knocking him out inside two rounds. His series of brutal wins against Japanese fighters perhaps put the fear in the heart of the then dreaded Hawaii-raised Japanese reigning WBA junior welterweighf kingpin Takeshi Paul Fujii prompting him to back out of their scheduled title fight late in 1968. With Fujii as no show, Adigue was made to fight another middleweight, Benkie Fujikura and The Rock vented his ire on the poor Japanese, stopping him inside a round before an amazed Japanese crowd. Fujii would lose his WBA title to Argentine boxing wiz Nicolino Locche while Adigue would proceed to battle Pruitt for the WBC crown. But Adigue would have an abbreviated tenure losing his world title, after a long hiatus due to medical reason, to Italy's Bruno Arcari who would on the other hand register a record for longest reign. Adigue would continue to fight, even winning the OPBF junior welterweight belt before a series of losses prompted him to finally hang up his gloves in the late 70s. Adigue first gained prominence by beating Carl Penalosa for the Philippine lightweight title. But his popularity skied when he won the OPBF lightweight in 1966 title by beating South Korean Bu Young Kang and turning back the challenges of at least three top Japanese fighters, fellow Pinoy world rated Rene Barrientos twice and Thai champion Charnchai Thairat, among others Curiously, a Thai in the person of Wanheng Menayothin frustrated Pedro Taduran's first bid for a world championship but that did not deter but in fact even fire up Taduran in his recent quest for the elusive title. Taduran deserved a more fitting and appropriate nom de guerre. May i humbly suggest, "The Little Rock" in honor and memory of a great fellow uragon, Pedro "The Rock" Adigue? The author Teodoro Medina?Reynoso?is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines.?? He can be reached at?teddyreynoso@yahoo.com?and by phone 09215309477. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.  |
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