Jerusalem beats Castillo to retain WBC crown
Just moments ago we saw WBC Minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem (23-3, 12) record his first defense of the green and gold belt, as he defeated the game, and previously unbeaten, Mexican challenger Luis Castillo (21-1-1, 3) with a clear unanimous decision.
The fight, the first world title fight to be held since Manny Pacquiao promised to bring one a year to the country, looked like it was going to be over early doors when Jerusalem seemed unable to miss with his right hand. The shot dropped Castillo late into the round and later on the Mexican seemed to be on the verge of being stopped before surviving to the bell. It seemed only a matter of time until Jerusalem would land again, but from there on Castillo’s chin actually held up, though he was hurt a few times as the fight went on.
Rather than bombing out his challenger, as seemed likely after the first round, Jerusalem showed a lot more to him. He picked moments to box, doing so intelligently at times, he chose when to counter, and although Castillo used his height and reach well with his jab it did seem more like Castillo was looking to use the jab as a stay away tool, rather than an actual offensive weapon.
As the rounds went on Jerusalem was picking up points, landing the better shots, dictating the action and generally controlling the action, showing himself to be at least a level above Castillo. The result in a rather easy to score bout, with two of the judges favouring the champion 120-107 and the third judge having it a touch closer at 118-109, giving Jerusalem a comfortable first defense.
Jersularm wasn’t the only notable Filipino on the card, as former IBF Super Flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (35-4-2, 23) scored a DQ win over Thai veteran Sukpraserd Ponpitak (30-20, 20), to record only his third win since 2020. Ancajas was a class above the Thai, who was dropped in round 1. The Thai did what he could to survive but in round 5 he tested the patience of the referee one time too many, earning himself a disqualification, the first of his 50 fight career.
The fight, the first world title fight to be held since Manny Pacquiao promised to bring one a year to the country, looked like it was going to be over early doors when Jerusalem seemed unable to miss with his right hand. The shot dropped Castillo late into the round and later on the Mexican seemed to be on the verge of being stopped before surviving to the bell. It seemed only a matter of time until Jerusalem would land again, but from there on Castillo’s chin actually held up, though he was hurt a few times as the fight went on.
Rather than bombing out his challenger, as seemed likely after the first round, Jerusalem showed a lot more to him. He picked moments to box, doing so intelligently at times, he chose when to counter, and although Castillo used his height and reach well with his jab it did seem more like Castillo was looking to use the jab as a stay away tool, rather than an actual offensive weapon.
As the rounds went on Jerusalem was picking up points, landing the better shots, dictating the action and generally controlling the action, showing himself to be at least a level above Castillo. The result in a rather easy to score bout, with two of the judges favouring the champion 120-107 and the third judge having it a touch closer at 118-109, giving Jerusalem a comfortable first defense.
Jersularm wasn’t the only notable Filipino on the card, as former IBF Super Flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas (35-4-2, 23) scored a DQ win over Thai veteran Sukpraserd Ponpitak (30-20, 20), to record only his third win since 2020. Ancajas was a class above the Thai, who was dropped in round 1. The Thai did what he could to survive but in round 5 he tested the patience of the referee one time too many, earning himself a disqualification, the first of his 50 fight career.