Luis Castillo (left) and Melvin Jerusalem (right) pose for a photo during the weigh-in. | Sanman photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem’s highly anticipated world title defense is officially on following the weigh-in on Saturday, September 21, in Mandaluyong City.
Jerusalem, the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) world minimumweight champion, will defend his title against the formidable No. 1 contender, Luis “Flechita” Castillo of Mexico.
This championship bout is the main event of Manny Pacquiao’s “Blow-by-Blow” fight card at Mandaluyong City College, scheduled for Sunday, September 22.
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Both fighters demonstrated remarkable discipline, weighing in at 104.8 pounds for their scheduled 12-round contest.
At 30 years old, Jerusalem, who hails from Bukidnon and is currently based in Cebu, is eager to reclaim his footing after a challenging first title defense last year, when he lost the WBO world minimumweight title to Oscar Collazo in a bout promoted by Golden Boy Promotions in Puerto Rico.
Now fighting on home soil, Jerusalem is determined to impress Filipino boxing fans with a standout performance as the reigning world champion.
Jerusalem boasts a professional record of 22 wins, including 12 by knockout, against three losses. In contrast, Castillo remains unbeaten with a record of 21 wins, featuring 13 knockouts, and will be competing outside Mexico for the first time.
Additionally, the card will feature former world champion Jerwin Ancajas, who is making a comeback, against Thai fighter Sukpraserd Ponpitak in a 10-round non-title bout.
Jerusalem’s stablemates Gabriel Santisima and Kiyoto Narukami will also compete, with Santisima facing Jelo Bacalso and Narukami, from Japan, taking on Jaybie Ignacio. The event will include a total of 11 undercard bouts.