Melvin Jerusalem proudly spreads the Philippine flag with the WBC world title on his shoulder. | Photo from Sanman Boxing
CEBU CITY, Philippines— Melvin “Gringo” Jerusalem proved his mettle once again, learning from his close call last year, to decisively outbox Yudai Shigeoka in their highly-anticipated rematch.
The Filipino champion retained his World Boxing Council (WBC) world minimumweight title with a dominant unanimous decision victory on Sunday, March 30, in Tokoname, Aichi, Japan.
After narrowly escaping with a split decision win in their first encounter—despite knocking Shigeoka down twice—Jerusalem entered this bout with renewed determination and a more aggressive game plan. His adjustments paid off, as he left no room for doubt this time.
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The judges were unanimous in recognizing Jerusalem’s superiority. Judge Chris Tellez scored the bout 119-109, while Joseph Gwilt had it 118-110. Even Judge Thawut Pheumsamran, who had the closest margin, saw it 116-112 in favor of Jerusalem after 12 rounds of action.
FOUGHT LIKE A TRUE CHAMPION
The 31-year-old Jerusalem, proudly hailing from Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, fought like a true champion—measured and cautious in the early rounds but relentless as the fight progressed.
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He approached Shigeoka with patience in the first two rounds, sizing up his rival before unleashing well-timed punches.
Jerusalem’s signature weapon, his sneaky right straight, repeatedly caught Shigeoka off-guard.
The Japanese challenger struggled to defend against the precision of those punches, absorbing telling blows that tilted the momentum in Jerusalem’s favor.
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Despite Shigeoka’s aggressive approach and relentless pressure, Jerusalem remained composed.
Shigeoka attempted to force the action by throwing combinations and counterpunches, but Jerusalem’s tight defense neutralized most of the attacks.
ACCURATE COMBINATIONS
Every time Shigeoka tried to take control, Jerusalem responded with sharper, more accurate combinations.
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Though the bout occasionally resembled a chess match, it was clear that Jerusalem moved his pieces with greater precision. His tactical approach allowed him to dictate the pace, while his sharp counters frustrated Shigeoka, who struggled to adjust.
In the middle rounds, Shigeoka picked up the pace, desperately trying to turn the tide with aggressive combinations. But Jerusalem remained unfazed, staying composed and landing his trademark right straights with surgical precision.
The intensity reached its peak in the seventh round when the crowd erupted after Shigeoka hit the canvas.
However, the referee ruled it a slip, denying Jerusalem an official knockdown. By this point, Shigeoka’s nose was bleeding profusely, an evidence to the punishment he had absorbed.
As the fight wore on, Shigeoka’s frustration boiled over. He resorted to roughhouse tactics—clinching, smothering, and throwing unorthodox punches to disrupt Jerusalem’s rhythm.
But the Filipino champion refused to be rattled, maintaining his composure and continuing to land accurate punches.
POWER PUNCHES
By the eighth round, it was evident that Jerusalem was well ahead on the judges’ scorecards.
Shigeoka’s most notable success came in the 10th round when he landed a flurry of power punches that briefly put Jerusalem on the defensive.
Yet, true to his fighting spirit, Jerusalem answered back with his sneaky straights that kept Shigeoka at bay.
With victory within reach, Jerusalem pushed the pace in the final two rounds.
He threw everything in his arsenal, pressing forward with a flurry of combinations that left Shigeoka reeling. In the 12th and final round, Jerusalem delivered a masterclass, overwhelming Shigeoka with a relentless offensive barrage that cemented his dominance.
With this victory, Jerusalem improved his record to 24 wins (12 knockouts) against 3 defeats. Meanwhile, Shigeoka suffered his second career loss—both coming at the hands of the Filipino champion—falling to 9 wins (5 knockouts) and 2 losses.