Why split decision for Taduran?

There was no doubt that IBF minimumweight champion Pedro Taduran was the better man in defending his title against Ginjiro Shigeoka in Osaka last Saturday.

- By JOAQUIN M. HENSON

The split decision was totally unfair as it should've been unanimous. Shigeoka had to be stretchered out of the ring after the fight and is still recovering in the hospital at the moment, according to Taduran's manager Cucuy Elorde.

Curiously, Shigeoka also had to be carried off the ring on a stretcher after he lost the IBF crown to Taduran on a ninth-round stoppage in Otsu last year. Referee Steve Willis stepped in to call a halt to the contest as Shigeoka was clearly in bad shape although he never went down. In the rematch, the Japanese tried something tactically different, boxing from a distance and dancing instead of engaging. Taduran, however, was prepared to stay on top of Shigeoka no matter what style he used.