Melvin Jerusalem retains WBC title in Thrilla main event
Melvin Jerusalem lands a punch against Siyakholwa Kuse of South Africa in the main event of Thrilla in Manila 2 at Araneta Coliseum.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines–Melvin Jerusalem capped off “Thrilla in Manila 2” by retaining his WBC minimumweight title, beating a game South African challenger, Siyakholwa Kuse, on points early Thursday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Jerusalem won on all judges’ scorecards, 115-113 and 116-112 twice.
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Kuse surprised many after giving Jerusalem a tough challenge and lasting the full 12 rounds.
Jerusalem, however, knew he couldn’t afford to let his guard down against Kuse (9-2-1, 4KOs).
“He’s no pushover. He fights smart and I think he has a chance to become a world champion someday,” Jerusalem said in Filipino.
The 31-year-old Jerusalem hiked his record to 25-3, 12KOs and is back to chasing a rematch with Puerto Rico’s two-belt champion Oscar Collazo in a unification bout.
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Collazo won the WBO strap after stopping Jerusalem in May 2023.
Another Filipino, Pedro Taduran, has the IBF crown. Taduran beat Cebuano Christian Balunan on Sunday at San Andres Sports Complex.
Like Jerusalem, Taduran also wants a crack at Collazo.
