Twin wins for Pinoy boxers
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 05 Apr 2026
It was a double victory for Filipino fighters at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California last Saturday night (yesterday morning, Manila time) with boxing icon Manny Pacquiao applauding the twin wins at ringside. There was reason to celebrate as Pacquiao’s oldest son Jimuel decked Darrick Gates twice before referee Rudy Barrigan halted the four-rounder at 1:34 of the second to book his first pro triumph after a draw in his debut.
In the main event, IBF minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran recovered from a slow start to bombard Mexican challenger Gustavo Perez into submission at 1:34 of the seventh. Judges Barrigan, Zachary Young and Pat Russell scored the first round for Perez who repeatedly raked Taduran with a right jab in the battle of southpaws. Russell had it a shutout for Perez after three rounds. Then, Taduran began to overpower Perez, pressuring the Mexican to seek refuge along the ropes and in the far corners. Taduran floored Perez twice in the fourth, once in the sixth and dropped him with a left to the ribs in the seventh, prompting referee Thomas Taylor to wave it off.
Taduran, 29, said it was a combination of power and timing that did the trick. “Sobrang saya at thankful kay God at nabigyan ako ng lakas,” said Taduran after repulsing his third challenger on his second reign as IBF titlist. “Yung paghihirap ko ng tatlong buwan sa US nagbunga, araw-araw kami ni coach Carl (Erbing Penalosa) nag-training.” Conditioning and preparation had a lot to do with Taduran raising his record to 19-4-1, with 14 KOs. Perez, 27, suffered his first setback after eight wins in a row and his record dropped to 16-2, with five KOs.
Pacquiao, 25, fought to a majority four-round draw with Brendan Lally in his pro debut last November but this time, scored a decisive win over Gates, an MMA and bare-knuckle gladiator. Gates, 36, was three inches taller and his reach of 71 1/2 inches was a distinct advantage. Pacquiao, however, negated Gates’ length with a relentless two-fisted attack that focused on the body.
“For this fight, nilagay ko sa isip ko to be more aggressive, more convincing, that I really want to win,” said Pacquiao who weighed in at 136.2 pounds for the bout. “This whole camp, alam namin ni coach Marvin (Somodio) na matangkad ang kalaban so we really focused on the body. There are many more things to learn so I’ll train harder.” From a scale of one to 10, Pacquiao said he rates his performance at six to seven. “I’m never satisfied and I’ll always try to do better,” he said.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Suslenkov knocks out Mann to headline explosive IBA Pro 16 night in Serpukhov
Sat, 18 Apr 2026AJ Manas off to a hot start in Indonesia
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026Camila Zamorano WBC female champion health update
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Sat, 18 Apr 2026PH Athletics team shines in the 2026 Singapore Open Track and Field Championships
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026JESSE RODRIGUEZ CHALLENGES ANTONIO VARGAS FOR WBC BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD TITLE IN GLENDALE ON JUNE 13
Sat, 18 Apr 2026WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND PHOTOS FROM SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS - TOMORROW, APRIL 18 AT FRONTWAVE ARENA IN OCEANSIDE, CALIF.
Sat, 18 Apr 2026OFFICIAL ‘REVOLUTION’ WEIGHTS FROM CORK, IRELAND
Sat, 18 Apr 2026MIKHAIL GRIGORYAN DEFEATS JEO SANTISIMA, CROWNED NEW IBF ASIA LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION IN SERPUKHOV
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 18 Apr 2026Ra’eese Aleem Vows Victory Over Angelo Leo Ahead of May 9th IBF Title Fight in Atlanta
Sat, 18 Apr 2026WCM Nika Juris Nicolas 10th in Serbia
By Marlon Bernardino, Sat, 18 Apr 2026JESSE ‘BAM’ RODRIGUEZ PENS LONG TERM EXTENSION WITH EDDIE HEARN AND MATCHROOM
Sat, 18 Apr 2026Hermie Rivera: A Fil-Am Original
By Emmanuel Rivera, RRT, Fri, 17 Apr 2026LIVERPOOL FIGHT NIGHT: OFFICIAL WEIGHTS AS BEN WHITTAKER TAKES ON BRAIAN SUAREZ – LIVE ON DAZN
Fri, 17 Apr 2026Lerasan to fight for WBO Asian Pacific bantam title
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 17 Apr 2026Fuentes is now ready to fight in Juego Todo
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 17 Apr 2026