Melvin’s next defense in Japan?

WBC minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem took care of business in retaining the 105-pound crown on his first defense against previously unbeaten Mexican challenger Luis Castillo at the jam-packed Mandaluyong City College gym last Sunday. Jerusalem decked Castillo in the first round with a right straight flush on the face and breezed to a win by a 12-round unanimous decision.

Judges Stephen Blea of Denver, Colorado and Arnie Najera of Cebu scored it a 120-107 shutout while judge Shin Kyoung Ha had it 118-109. Under WBC’s open scoring mandate, the judges’ tallies were announced without mentioning their names. The mandate is to disclose the scores after the fourth and eighth rounds. In between the fifth and sixth, it was announced that the three judges scored it 40-35 for Jerusalem. In between the ninth and 10th, the scores were 80-71 twice and 79-72.

Castillo, seeing action in his first bout outside of Mexico, was never the same after he was dropped. Jerusalem raked him with jab-straight combinations and was totally dominant. Castillo couldn’t take advantage of his four-inch reach edge as Jerusalem kept the distance close with constant pressure. In the seventh, Castillo went for broke, presumably realizing the only way he could win was by knockout. He stormed in to engage but Jerusalem was ready to stand his ground. Castillo’s assault was short-lived and in the eighth, Jerusalem regained control of the ring. Jerusalem appeared to run out of sting in the championship rounds, landing punches that lacked power but Castillo could do no better.

Jerusalem’s promoter JC Manangquil said the Kameda group of Japan has one more option on his next fight. Kameda yielded the first option to Castillo as No. 1 contender in the mandatory defense. Manangquil said he still has to discuss with the Kameda group what to do next. A rematch with Yudai Shigeoka, whom he dethroned in Nagoya last March, is a possibility. But Manangquil said he prefers a unification showdown with WBA titleholder Thammanoon Niyomtrong, also known as Knockout CP Freshmart (his other sobriquet is Little Pacquiao), of Thailand. Thammanoon, 34, is the longest-reigning minimumweight champion in history and has sat on the WBA throne since 2016. The Thai has racked up 12 successful title defenses with his most recent, a majority 12-round decision over Alex Winwood in Australia three weeks ago. The Filipino challengers he has repulsed were Robert Paradero, ArAr Andales, Toto Landero and Rey Loreto. Two of his title defenses were held outside of Thailand so he’s not resistant to fighting on hostile grounds. He might be enticed to face Jerusalem in the Philippines. Thammanoon’s record is 25-0, with nine KOs. He turned pro in 2012, two years before Jerusalem’s debut.

Ring legend Manny Pacquiao, who promoted the Jerusalem-Castillo fight as the main event of his “Blow By Blow” TV series, watched the contest in his London hotel suite with Sean Gibbons. Pacquiao was in London with his family as he promised to escort his daughter Princess on her first day of university last Monday. In a video message, Pacquiao congratulated Jerusalem and said “I’m happy for you.” He also thanked WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman for giving the opportunity for Jerusalem to defend his title in Manila.

Gibbons said he wasn’t involved in Jerusalem’s camp but noticed he could make some adjustments and change “a few things” to improve. For one, conditioning is critical. Jerusalem’s power in the first round should be as potent as in the last round. Aggression has to be consistent from start to finish. Work rate can’t slacken if the two-time world champion plans to rule the roost for a while.