WBC Special Preview: Jerusalem vs. Shigeoka II

WBC STATISTICS

WBC Strawweight World Championship

March 30, 2025 / Tokoname, Japan / Aichi Sky Expo

KAMEDA PROMOTIONS PRESENTS:

MELVIN JERUSALEM (Philippines)

· WBC Strawweight World Champion, 2nd Title Defense
· Former Oriental & Pacific Boxing Federation Strawweight Champion
Age: 31 / Date of birth: February 22, 1994
Residence, birthplace: Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, Philippines
Record: 23-3, 12 KOs / Total rounds: 164 / World championship fights: 3-2, 1 KO
Height: 5’2” – 157cm / Reach: 62” – 157cm / Stance: Right-handed

YUDAI SHIGEOKA (Japan)

· Ranked WBC No. 1 at Strawweight
· Former WBC Strawweight Champion
Age: 27 / Date of birth: April 16, 1997
Residence: Tokyo, Japan / Birthplace: Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan
Record: 9-1, 5 KOs / Total rounds: 72 / World championship fights: 1-1, 0 KOs
Height: 5’3” – 160cm / Reach: 64” – 162cm / Stance: Left-handed

WBC STRAWWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONS

1. Hiroki Ioka (Japan) 1987 – 1988
2. Napa Kiatwanchai (Thailand) 1988 – 1989
3. Jeum-Hwang Choi (Korea) 1989 – 1990
4. Hideyuki Ohashi (Japan) 1990
5. Ricardo Lopez (Mexico) 1990 – 1998
6. Wandee Chor Chareon (Thai) 1998 – 2000
7. Jose Antonio Aguirre (Mexico) 2000 – 2004
8. Eagle Kyowa (Japan) 2004
9. Isaac Bustos (Mexico) 2004 – 2005
10. Katsunari Takayama (Japan) 2005
11. Eagle Kyowa (Japan) * 2005 – 2007
12. Juan Palacios (Nic.) Interim 2008
13. Oleydong Sithsamerchai (Thai) 2008 – 2011
14. Kazuto Ioka (Japan) 2011 – 2012
15. Xiong Zhao Zhong (China) 2013 – 2014
16. Osvaldo Novoa (Mexico) 2014
17. Wanheng Menayothin (Thai) 2014 – 2020
18. Panya Pradabsri (Thai) 2020 – 2023
19. Yudai Shigeoka (Japan) 2023 – 2024
20. Melvin Jerusalem (Phil) 2024 –
* Regained

WBC TOP TEN

1. Ricardo Lopez (Mexico)
2. Oleydong Sithsamerchai (Thai)
3. Wanheng Menayothin (Thai)
4. Hideyuki Ohashi (Japan)
5. Eagle Kyowa (Japan)
6. Wandee Chor Chareon (Thai)
7. Jose Antonio Aguirre (Mexico)
8. Hiroki Ioka (Japan)
9. Napa Kiatwanchai (Thai)
10. Kazuto Ioka (Japan)

GENERAL INFORMATION ON THE STRAWWEIGHT DIVISION IN WBC HISTORY

19 world champions have been recognized by the WBC, of whom only one has regained the title: Eagle Kyowa (Japan).

87 strawweight world championship bouts have been held in WBC history.
Ricardo “Finito” Lopez of Mexico holds the division record for successful title defenses with 21.

MEMORABLE WBC STRAWWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS

Sept. 22, 2024 Melvin Jerusalem W12 Luis Castillo – Mandaluyong City, Philippines
Mar. 31, 2024 Melvin Jerusalem W12 Yudai Shigeoka – Nagoya, Japan
Oct. 7, 2023 Yudai Shigeoka W12 Panya Pradabsri – Tokyo, Japan
June 28, 2023 Panya Pradabsri TKO8 Norihito Tanaka – Rayong, Thailand
Aug. 31, 2022 Panya Pradabsri W12 Norihito Tanaka – Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Mar. 29, 2022 Panya Pradabsri W12 Wanheng Menayothin – Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Nov. 2, 2021 Panya Pradabsri W12 Danai Ngiabphukhiaw – Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Nov. 27, 2020 Panya Pradabsri W12 Wanheng Menayothin – Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Oct. 25, 2019 Wanheng Menayothin W12 Simpiwe Konko – Chonburi, Thailand
May 31, 2019 Wanheng Menayothin TW8 Tatsuya Fukuhara – Chachoengsao, Thailand
Aug. 29, 2018 Wanheng Menayothin W12 Pedro Taduran – Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
Nov. 25, 2017 Wanheng Menayothin W12 Tatsuya Fukuhara – Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand
Aug. 2, 2016 Wanheng Menayothin W12 Saul Juarez – Chonburi, Thailand
Nov. 6, 2014 Wanheng Menayothin TKO9 Oswaldo Novoa – Chonburi, Thailand
Feb. 5, 2014 Oswaldo Novoa TKO5 Chaozhong Xiong – Haikou, China
Nov. 24, 2012 Chaozhong Xiong W12 Javier Martinez Resendiz – Kunming, China
Feb. 11, 2011 Kazuto Ioka TKO5 Oleydong Sithsamerchai – Kobe, Japan
Nov. 29, 2007 Oleydong Sithsamerchai W12 Eagle Kyowa – Bangkok, Thailand
Aug. 6, 2005 Eagle Kyowa W12 Katsunari Takayama – Tokyo, Japan
Apr. 4, 2005 Katsunari Takayama W12 Isaac Bustos – Osaka, Japan
Dec. 18, 2004 Isaac Bustos TKO4 Eagle Kyowa – Tokyo, Japan
Jan. 10, 2004 Eagle Kyowa W12 Jose Antonio Aguirre – Tokyo, Japan
Jul. 7, 2000 Jose Antonio Aguirre KO5 Jose Luis Zepeda – Villahermosa, Mexico
Feb. 11, 2000 Jose Antonio Aguirre W12 Wandee Chor Chareon – Samut Sakhon, Thailand
May 4, 1999 Wandee Chor Chareon TKO12 Wolf Tokimitsu – Kurashiki, Japan
Aug. 23, 1998 Wandee Chor Chareon W12 Rocky Lin – Yokohama, Japan
Nov. 13, 1998 Ricardo Lopez W12 Rosendo Alvarez – Las Vegas, Nevada
Mar. 7, 1998 Ricardo Lopez TD8 Rosendo Alvarez – México City, México
Sep. 17, 1994 Ricardo Lopez TKO1 Surachai Saengmorakot – Las Vegas, Nevada
Dec. 18, 1993 Ricardo Lopez KO11 Manny Melchor – Stateline, Nevada
Oct. 25, 1990 Ricardo Lopez TKO5 Hideyuki Ohashi – Tokyo, Japan
June 8, 1990 Hideyuki Ohashi W12 Napa Kiatwanchai – Tokyo, Japan
Feb. 7, 1990 Hideyuki Ohashi KO9 Jum-Hwan Choi – Tokyo, Japan
Nov. 12, 1989 Jum-Hwan Choi TKO12 Napa Kiatwanchai – Seoul, South Korea
Nov. 13, 1988 Napa Kiatwanchai W12 Hiroki Ioka – Osaka, Japan
Oct. 18, 1987 Hiroki Ioka W12 Mai Thomburifarm – Osaka, Japan

Jerusalem and Shigeoka NOT prepared to split the difference

By James Blears

You could almost be forgiven for thinking that if you`ve knocked down your opponent twice in a fight for the world title, you`re well on your way to an easy fast track victory, without a care in the world.

This wasn`t the case almost a year to the day ago, when Filipino hard- case Melvin Jerusalem decked then reigning and defending champion Yudai Shigeoka from Japan twice, both with jarring counter right hands.

Southpaw Yudai was pawing and prodding with a lackadaisical right jab, which resembled a cloths prop spasmodically interrupted and drifted off course by a gentle summer breeze in round three, when all of a sudden, over came a jolting, jarring precise right counter, which put him on the seat of his nice shiny shorts. The dose was precisely and almost exactly repeated three rounds later. You live and learn?

It`s a strong argument for open scoring. Not unnaturally, Melvin assumed he was a country mile ahead on the scorecards, but after twelve rounds, he was a split decision victor. It was a much closer run thing than he probably imagined or anticipated. If the scores had been announced he would have realized it was nowhere near as comfortable as he`d thought. Perception and through it realization, are vitally important.

It also depends where the knockdowns come. It they occur in the first half of the fight, it`s still possible within the time-frame, to make up lost ground by sheer endeavour to make amends. If the dispatch to the canvass occurs towards the end of an even- steven encounter, then it`s quite a different matter and ultimately more decisive.

World Boxing Council straw weight champion Melvin ’’ Gringo’’ Jerusalem defends his title for the second time, on this occasion against the man from whom he shore the title via SD, Yudai Shigeoka, with the dateline set for Sunday March 30th at Aichi Sky Expo, Tokoname, Japan.

Melvin has the hard bark timber capacity and resilience of a seasoned fighter. Back in 2017 he was ranked ninth by the World Boxing Council and took on legendary WBC champion Wanheng Menayothin, losing a close UD. Melvin was docked a point in round eight for a low blow. This proved costly, because otherwise it would have ended as a majority draw.

A hard hitter who stuck to the task, six years later he won the WBO straw weight title via a thunderous, stunning right which put Masataka Taniguchi on the canvass in round two, and he was unable to beat the count.

Then Melvin came up against undefeated, hard hitting southpaw Oscar ‘’El Pupilo’ Collazo who battered him from pillar to post and he was unable to continue after seven one sided rounds. Yet just two fights later, he showed his bounce back willpower by defeating Yudai. The fact this re-match is in Tokyo, which is home turf for Yudai, isn`t going to particularly concern Melvin, who has spent most of his career as a road warrior.

Melvin`s pro record is 23-3, 12 KO`s, while Yudai is 9-1, 5 KO`s. Nowadays boxing careers are briefer. Opportunities for title tilts come sooner and with then the larger purses follow. On the plus side there are numerically less gruelling fights, and the chance to retire early with money neatly tucked into the bank. That is for the talented and lucky minority.

Yet in the minus column and on the debit side, many fighters are far less experienced, savvy and accomplished at their trade. The old timers wring their hands, saying that in their day, they never got the chance to fight for the crown until they had fought thirty plus fights and by then they were fully qualified master craftsmen as well as deft draughtsmen.

Boxing talent sometimes tends to run in families. Yudai`s younger brother Ginjiro is a former WBO straw weight champion and also a southpaw. As For Yudai, who aged twenty- seven is four years younger than Melvin, he`s already mixed in rarefied company and proved his teak toughness.

Two years ago he was going to fight then champion Panya Pradabsri for the title. But Panya pulled out and instead Yudai fought former WBO champion Wilfredo Mendez for the WBC Interim title, knocking him down in the fifth and finishing the job two rounds later when a battered Will wasn`t able to beat the count.

Yudai finally fought Panya winning the title with a UD victory, in spite of the fact that he fractured both of his hands in round five. His first defence was against Melvin, where he came unstuck. He won his next fight against Filipino Samuel Salva via UD.

Melvin has successfully defended his title once, with a UD victory over Mexico`s long armed southpaw Luis Castillo, who he dropped hard in round one with his mighty right. Luis was also pawing with his right lead when he got caught flush. Melvin immediately followed up and Luis was reeling, but the sweet music of the bell intervened just in the nick of time and Luis was able to recoup, regroup and fight back, losing a UD.

Even though this is a rematch between Melvin and Yudai, no two fights are the same. For this one, Yudai must stiffen up his right southpaw lead and retrieve it after throwing it, so as to avoid the gap which was twice ruthlessly exploited in fight one. He needs to be firing on all cylinders much earlier upping his work rate. Melvin who possesses real power in his right hand, needs to land it and then follow up, sealing escape routes for his well- conditioned opponent, who managed to shake off the effects of both knockdowns and come on strong as the fight progressed, to make it close by the end.

Whoever wins could well take on WBO Oscar Collazo 11-0, 9 KO`s who is still undefeated. Since defeating Melvin, he`s fought four times since then, stopping three of his opponents.

Whoever wins the fight between Melvin and Yudai, will have learned and adapted the better. Rather than use his right jap as a prodding pathfinder, Yudai must apply some snap, crackle and pop to it.

Melvin who is less rangy and more compact in his style must again let that potent right go and if he can canvass Yudai, this time he must follow up to finish the job. Who has learned the lessons better and can flourish the results of their homework, to inflict top marks and reap the dividends?