By REYNALD MAGALLON
Japanese boxers have the number of their Filipino counterparts so far and that’s what Melvin Jerusalem aims to put an end to when he challenges Yudai Shigeoka in the WBC minimumweight championship on Sunday, March 31.
Team Jerusalem headed Sanman promotions head JC Mananquil and trainer Michael Domingo already arrived in Japan for the scheduled 12-round fight at the International Conference Hall.
The Land of the Rising Sun had not been good for the Filipino fighters with Marlon Tapales and Jerwin Ancajas suffering knockout losses against their champion rivals.
Tapales absorbed a 10th round stoppage against Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue in their undisputed world super bantamweight bout last December while Ancajas fell in the ninth round against Naoya’s brother Takuma in their WBA bantamweight fight last February.
Even the much-experienced Jonas Sultan also sustained a first-round knockout against Japanese foe Riko Masuda in the Ancajas-Inoue undercard.
Jerusalem, however, can cling on to the fact that he once won in Japan to wrest his mini-flyweight crown. He defeated Masataka Taniguchi via a second-round knockout in Osaka.
The 30-year-old pug however immediately surrendered his belt after losing to Oscar Collazo of Puerto Rico via seventh round stoppage.
Experience should be an advantage for Jerusalem who currently sports a 21-3 record with 12 knockout against the only 8-0 record, 5 KOs of the 26-year-old Shigeoka.
Shigeoka, who vowed to take revenge for Taniguchi, made a successful first title defense against Thai Panya Pradabsri via a 12-round unanimous decision win.
