Melvin Jerusalem Edges Siyakholwa Kuse in the Philippines

Melvin Jerusalem finished with greater strength and certainly needed it, earning a 12-round unanimous decision victory over Siyakholwa Kuse to retain his WBC Strawweight World Title.

In a close contest, the Filipino fighter Jerusalem (25-3, 12 KOs) achieved the third defense of his 105-pound crown against a game effort from Kuse.

From the start of the fight, Kuse (9-3-1, 4 KOs) looked to chain together powerful one-two combinations and willingly dove into the action to unleash his attacks.

After a strong fourth round from the challenger, they exchanged punches furiously in the fifth round.

Jerusalem landed a clean uppercut with half a minute left in the seventh. At the beginning of the eighth, Jerusalem absorbed counter-punching flurries from a retreating Kuse.

Every time Jerusalem landed flush or enjoyed a fleeting sequence of success, the younger man replied with two or three bursts, showcasing his great bravery.

They exchanged body shots early in the ninth; Kuse scored with right hands before the referee warned the champion for punching after calling for a break.

Right on cue, the open scoring after the eighth round gave Jerusalem a 77-75 lead on two of the three judges’ scorecards, while Kuse was ahead 77-75 on the other.

Kuse stumbled back after absorbing a solid right hand just before the bell in the tenth round, and they entered the final six minutes where the champion, Jerusalem, had to work hard to win the bout and close strongly.

Jerusalem wobbled Kuse with a straight right hand 15 seconds from the end, both swung powerful punches near the ropes before sharing a respectful embrace after a tough fight.

The judges’ scores were: Jun Bae Lim and Zanashir Taznaa (116-112), Samantha Bulner (115-113).