MANILA – Filipino boxer Melvin Jerusalem delivered a dominant performance against Mexican Luis Castillo to retain the WBC world minimumweight championship over at the Mandaluyong City College gym.
Fueled up by Castillo’s pre-game trash talk, Jerusalem dropped the Mexican with a right straight early in the 12-round fight, setting the tone for his commanding display of skill throughout the bout.
Castillo, who claimed that Jerusalem’s title reign was nearing its end, attempted to rally in the latter part of the bout, but was unable to make significant headway in scoring against the Filipino champion.
The Bukidnon-native Jerusalem secured a unanimous decision victory with scores of 118-109, 120-107, and 120-107, marking a successful first title defense.
With this win, the 30-year-old Jerusalem improved his record to 23 wins and 3 losses (12 by knockout), while handing Castillo his first career loss, leaving him with a record of 22 wins and 1 draw.
Meanwhile, former world junior bantamweight champion Jerwin Ancajas secured a victory against Thai Sukpraserd Ponpitak by disqualification.
Ancajas showcased impressive movement and precision, dropping Ponpitak with a right hook in the first round, but Ponpitak resorted to slamming the Filipino fighter multiple times.
The Thai fighter received a warning and was subsequently deducted a point for his actions. However, the slamming continued, ultimately resulting in his disqualification from the bout./PN
