By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Filipino boxing star Melvin Jerusalem made sure to defend his home turf after thrashing Luis Angel Castillo of Mexico on September 22, 2024, at the Mandaluyong City College.
With the huge win, Jerusalem successfully defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight championship belt via a unanimous decision victory.
From the get-go, Jerusalem already imposed his will after scoring a knockdown on Castillo in the opening round.
Despite the reach advantage that the Mexican visitor possessed, Jerusalem had no trouble in penetrating as he trimmed the distance midway through the first.
Using his efficient footwork and head movement, Jerusalem decided not to be stagnant in the stand-up fight and always kept himself busy circling around the ring while throwing jabs.
The biggest moment in the fight came in the final 30 seconds after Jerusalem tagged Castillo with a snappy right straight that sent him down to the canvas.
However, Castillo was able to beat the referee’s count and got up, but the bell already rang which resulted in a lopsided first-round win for the Filipino.
Jerusalem then picked up where he left off and staged one of his most spectacular performances since turning professional in the sport.
From his 1-2 jab-hook combinations to his stable defensive stance, Castillo just failed to crack the Jerusalem code and struggled in nabbing any momentum in the later rounds.
Two judges scored the bout 120-107, all in favor of Jerusalem while the remaining official had it 118-109.
In his post-fight interview, Jerusalem explained that he didn’t go for a knockout win because they were still aware of Castillo’s power.
Known as a power puncher, Castillo’s haymakers were completely neutralized by Jerusalem’s consistent head movement and sneaky in-and-outs.
