Melvin Jerusalem holding the WBC minimumweight world title.–Photo from Melvin Jerusalem’s Facebook
MANILA, Philippines–Melvin Jerusalem, one of just two reigning Filipino world champions, makes the first defense of the WBC minimumweight crown against mandatory challenger Luis Castillo of Mexico on September 22 at Mandaluyong City College Gym.
The bout will be the first major card featuring a world title fight on Manny Pacquiao Presents: Blow-By-Blow and Pacquiao can’t help but express his excitement over the prospects of a Filipino world champion risking his title on home soil against the 105-pound division’s No. 1 contender.
“This is a fulfillment of our plan when we revived Blow-By-Blow almost two years ago, seeing a Filipino figure in a world title fight right before his countrymen,” said Pacquiao.
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“I am also grateful that the City of Mandaluyong, the city where I fought countless fights that made me a household name in the 1990s, has offered its venue to host the WBC championship bout and the undercard fights,” added Pacquiao.
The slugfest will also see the return of former super flyweight king Jerwin Ancajas in the undercard.
Ancajas (34-4-2, 23KOs), who held the IBF strap from 2016 to 2022, aims to get back on track after a stunning knockout loss to Takuma Inoue last February.
Jerusalem, who fights out of ZIP Sanman, won the WBC plum last March by edging Japan’s Yudai Shigeoka via split decision in Nagoya.
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Armed with a 22-3-0 win-loss-draw record with 12 knockouts, Jerusalem will have his hands full against Castillo, who is younger by three years at 27.
The native of Los Mochis in Sinaloa, Castillo enters the ring with an unbeaten 22-0-1 card with 13 knockouts.
The southpaw Castillo is coming off 15 straight wins, including nine within the distance, since a draw in 2017.
Pedro Taduran, who holds the IBF strap also at 105 pounds, is the other current Filipino world boxing champion. Taduran claimed the belt last July when he stopped Japanese Ginjiro Shigeoka in Otsu, Japan.