Jerusalem eyes February or March for second world title defense vs. Shigeoka
Melvin Jerusalem (right) and Yudai Shigeoka (left) during their first encounter. | Photo courtesy of WBC
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Filipino boxing world champion Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem is gearing up for an anticipated rematch against former world titlist Yudai Shigeoka of Japan, scheduled for early 2025.
Jerusalem, the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight champion, recently returned from Germany, where he was honored during the WBC’s annual convention. In an interview with CDN Digital, Jerusalem confirmed that his next fight will be a title defense against Shigeoka, with the bout tentatively set for February or March next year.
The rematch stems from their March 2024 encounter in Japan, where Jerusalem dethroned Shigeoka via split decision to reclaim his world champion status. It was a critical victory for the Filipino, marking his resurgence after previously losing the WBO minimumweight title to Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo in the United States.
Jerusalem addressed reports suggesting that he could freely select an opponent from the division’s top 15 rankings for his next title defense. He clarified that his Japanese promotional counterpart had contractually set Shigeoka as his next challenger.
“Dili ko makapili kay akong kontra next year si Yudai sa among rematch,” Jerusalem said. “Ang rematch namo mga February or March.”
Shigeoka, currently the WBC’s No. 1 contender, is next in line for a title shot, making the rematch unavoidable.
Following his trip to Germany, Jerusalem is set to resume training under coach Michael Domingo at the ZIP Sanman Boxing Gym in Cebu City.
“Ga training nako ug hinay-hinay kay dali ra kayo ang mga bulan,” Jerusalem added, acknowledging the need to stay sharp with the fight only a few months away.
Jerusalem, 30, holds a professional record of 23 wins (12 by knockout) and three losses. His challenger, Shigeoka, boasts a 9-1 record with five knockouts.
The Filipino standout remains one of only two reigning boxing world champions from the Philippines, alongside Pedro Taduran, the IBF minimumweight titleholder.
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