Pedro Taduran vs Gustavo Perez Alvarez Preview April 3rd, 2026
IBF Minimumweight Champion (strawweight 105 lbs) Pedro Taduran of the Philippines will be putting his belt on the line again this Friday, April 3rd when he takes on Gustavo Perez Alvarez of Mexico. Taduran last fought in October when he beat Christian Balunan by a wide unanimous decision. In his previous outing in May, Taduran edged former champion Ginjiro Shigeoka of Japan in a split decision in a rematch. The two originally met in July, 2024 with Taduran winning the belt via a ninth-round TKO in an upset. Perez Alvarez last stepped into the ring in July when he beat Kevin Vivas via a fourth-round technical split decision. Friday’s fight from Temecula, California can be seen live on ESPN Deportes and on ESPN Knockout.
Taduran vs Perez Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Gustavo Perez Alvarez +250
- Pedro Taduran -300
My Pick
Taduran is a 29-year-old southpaw who carries around a record of 19-4-1 with 13 Ko’s and has 140 rounds of pro experience under his belt since making his debut in 2015 following his amateur career. He packs a pretty good punch as 68.4 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage. However he’s won just five of his last eight eights with two defeats and a draw and has recorded just two stoppages in that span. But on the bright side, he has won five bouts in a row.
Taduran’s first loss came at the hands of Joel Lino by six-round split decision in 2016. He dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Chayaphon Moonsri in 2018 in a shot at the WBC Minimumweight title and had points deducted in the eighth and 11th rounds for low blows. Taduran won the vacant IBF Title in 2019 when he halted Samuel Salva in the fourth round. His first defence was a four-round technical draw with Daniel Vallardes in 2020 and he then lost the belt in 2021 when Rene Mark Cuarto beat him by a close unanimous decision.
Taduran lost a seven-round technical decision in their rematch 12 months later. He was dropped in the second and sixth rounds while Cuarto was deducted two points in round three for an intentional headbutt. The contest was then stopped when Taduran suffered a cut forehead due to an accidental butt. As a pro, he’s also won the vacant Philippines Minimumweight Belt. He measures 5-feet-3-inches tall with a 64.5-inch reach.
The 27-year-old Perez Alvarez climbs through the ropes with a mark of 16-1 with 5 Ko’s and has boxed 90 rounds since making his pro debut in 2020. Unfortunately there’s no height and reach information on him so we don’t know how he stacks up size-wise against Taduran We do know that he doesn’t carry much power in his punches as just 31.2 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage.
He has halted three of his past five opponents though but they’re also the only three stoppages in his last dozen fights. His lone defeat came at the hands of current WBO World Flyweight Champion Anthony Olascuaga when he was stopped after six rounds in May, 2022. This will be Perez Alvarez’s first shot at any type of title and he’ll be taking another step up in class here. Eight of his 17 opponents entered the ring with a winning record with his best victories coming over Jesus Haro, Carlos Zaleta and Kevin Vivas.
Prediction…
Perez Alvarez is a steady pressure boxer who has won seven straight fights as he climbs up the rankings. Taduran came in as the underdog against Shigeoka and he really quite impressive in both fights as his power, size and skills earned him a pair of victories. Taduran proved he has the tools to remain a world champion for awhile in those wins against Shigeoka and if he performs that way against Perez Alvarez I don’t see him losing his title this weekend.
Taduran has skills and superior power.
Play Taduran -300 @ BetOnline.ag
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Gustavo Perez Alvarez betting • Pedro Taduran betting