Melvin Jerusalem gets the chance to showcase his stuff before local fans when he defends his Boxing Council (WBC) minimum weight crown against undefeated Mexican challenger Luis Castillo sometime in September.
The venue of the title fight is still to be finalized although there are talks that it could be held either in Masbate or Gen. Santos City.
Jerusalem is under Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions.
“Quality world boxing title will be coming soon to the Philippines, and Melvin Jerusalem, our present world champion, will be a main part of it,” Pacquiao, the former eight-division world champion, said. “It’s a great timing that he is holding one of the most prestigious world boxing titles — the WBC.”
Castillo, 26, is a dangerous southpaw sporting 21 wins with 13 knockouts and one draw.
MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons is likewise thrilled over the prospect of holding the fight in the country, saying: “For pride and country, this is surely a Filipino thing because as in the past as in every time a Filipino becomes a world champion, he’s really obliged to go to defend their belts at enemy’s territory,” Gibbons said.
“So Jerusalem is our last remaining hope at the moment, he is our only reigning Filipino world champion, and we need this fight to happen in the Philippines,” he added.
Jerusalem, a former World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimum weight champion, won the WBC belt in Tokyo, Japan last March 31 after scoring a split decision victory over Japanese Yudai Shigeoka .
“That’s really one of my dreams aside from becoming a world champion: To fight and defend my crown in front of the Filipino crowd here in our country,” Jerusalem (22-3 win-loss record with 12 knockouts) said. “I am really thrilled and excited to hear it.”
Sanman promotions chief JC Mananquil, Jerusalem’s handler, has welcomed the opportunity, saying he’s willing to work with the MP Promotions to co-promote the fight under the guidance of Pacquiao and Gibbons.
“Sean Gibbons and MP Promotions have provided Filipino boxers a great amount of hope for many years. They built a lot of world champions since then. So we are very grateful to join forces with them again to co-promote Jerusalem’s world title fight here,” Mananquil said.
