Jerusalem to defend WBC minimumweight belt vs top Mexican challenger

MANILA, Philippines — Melvin Jerusalem, one of just two reigning Filipino world champions, makes the first defense of the World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight crown against mandatory challenger Luis Castillo of Mexico on September 22 at the Mandaluyong City College Gym.

Manny Pacquiao Presents: Blow-By-Blow is staging the scheduled 12-rounder alongside a bevy of other marquee matchups as a special edition of the weekly television program on Cignal’s ONE Sports channel.

This will be Blow-By-Blow’s first major card featuring a world title fight, and Pacquiao can’t help but express his excitement over the prospects of a Filipino world champion risking his title on home soil against the 105-lb division’s No. 1 contender.

“This is a fulfillment of our plan when we revived Blow-By-Blow almost two years ago, seeing a Filipino figure in a world title fight right before his countrymen,” said Pacquiao, who is spearheading the slugfest that will also see the return of former world super-flyweight king Jerwin Ancajas in the undercard.

While it is Pacquiao who is leading the way in hosting the event, the eight-division champion is tipping his hat to the decision of a “heavyweight backer in Petron to help me put together this stacked card.”

“I am also grateful that the City of Mandaluyong, the city where I fought countless fights that made me a household name in the 1990s, has offered its venue to host the WBC championship bout and the undercard fights,” added Pacquiao.

Jerusalem, who fights out of ZIP Sanman, had won the WBC plum last March by edging Yudai Shigeoka on a split decision in Nagoya.

Armed with a 22-3-0 win-loss-draw record with 12 knockouts, Jerusalem will have his hands full against Castillo, who is younger by three years at 27.

The native of Los Mochis in Sinaloa, Castillo enters the ring with an unbeaten 22-0-1 card with 13 knockouts.

The southpaw Castillo is coming off 15 straight wins, including nine within the distance, since a draw in 2017.

Born in Bukidnon but now based in Cebu, Jerusalem joins Pedro Taduran, the International Boxing Federation titlist also in the 105-lb category, as the Philippines only reigning world champions.