Melvin Jerusalem (left) rocks Yudai Shigeoka. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
They said heavy is the head that wears the crown, but Melvin Jerusalem carried his on Sunday night with ease.
With his World Boxing Council minimumweight championship on the line, the pride of Bukidnon dismantled Yudai Shigeoka, the highly-anticipated rematch at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokomane, Japan, turning in a decisive outcome.
The judges scored the contest 118-110, 116-112, and 119-109, all in favor of Jerusalem, who made sure his performance was not only a title defense but an affirmation.
READ: Melvin Jerusalem retains WBC title, repeats over Yudai Shigeoka
“We’re able to defend our title,” Jerusalem said in between heaves on the heels of the bout. “I thank the whole Philippines for the continued support.”
After patiently sizing up his foe, Jerusalem turned the heat up and unleashed a flurry of right hands that left Shigeoka scurrying for cover for most of the night.
By the ninth round, the Filipino champion had his old foe bloodied and battered, ensuring a far more decisive outcome than their previous bout.
The last time the two boxers faced, Jerusalem was the challenger. He won the belt, but his split-decision win sparked debate among pundits and Japanese media.
In their rematch, Jerusalem didn’t need a knockdown, his relentless pace was just enough to capture a convincing victory.
Through his methodical precision, Jerusalem made sure none of the questions about his chops and reign’s legitimacy would persist, leaving the one important query up in the air: Who’s next?
The answer seems to be just as clear as Sunday’s result.
“Bring me Jerusalem,” World Boxing Association and WBO World Boxing Organization minimumweight champion Oscar Collazo immediately wrote on X (formerly Twitter), shortly after the bout. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Jerusalem lost the WBO strap to Collazo back in June 2023 after retiring in the seventh round. Since then, he has been pining for a rematch.
In fact, he dropped a hint right before he flew for his defense in the Land of the Rising Sun.
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“We’re focused on this one, but there’s a big fight coming,” said the ace, coached by Michael Domingo, and handled by both Sanman Promotions’ JC Manangquil and Zip’s Noboyuki Matsuura. INQ
