Pedro Taduran brushes off Oscar Collazo fight ahead of Thrilla in Manila 2 countdown

Despite the possibility of a fight with unified Strawweight champion Oscar Collazo, Filipino boxer Pedro Taduran is laser-focused on defending his International Boxing Federation (IBF) crown at the Thrilla in Manila 2 countdown card.

Taduran is set to face fellow Filipino Christian Balunan on Sunday, Oct. 26, at the San Andres Coliseum as the headliner for the prelude of the 50th-anniversary card of Thrilla in Manila.

Taduran shared that the media has constantly asked about a potential clash with Collazo during his training camp and but maintains that Balunan is his priority.

“I have been asked many times lately about Collazo, but I just tell them that my priority is getting past Balunan,” Taduran told the Daily Tribune.

“It would be dangerous to think about that fight when I am in the middle of my preparation for my second defense,” he added.

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The countdown to Thrilla in Manila show is stacked! 🇵🇭👊🥊

Triple IBF Championship matches!

Pedro Taduran vs Christian Balunan
IBF World Title

Miel Fajardo vs Esneth Domingo
IBF Pan Pacific Flyweight Title

Rex Tso vs Sagar Chouhan
IBF Pan Pacific Bantamweight Title pic.twitter.com/0WWO1YHSkJ

— OLE (@ajarietaPHbox) September 23, 2025

Collazo recently stopped Filipino challenger Jayson Vayson in the seventh round to defend his World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organization (WBO), and Ring Magazine titles.

Afterwards, Collazo called out Taduran and a rematch against World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Melvin Jerusalem.

Like Taduran, Jerusalem is also preparing to defend his world title as the headliner in the main Thrilla in Manila 2 card against Siyakholwa Kuse on Oct. 29 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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