MELVIN Jerusalem’s reign as a world champion has ended after losing his World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight strap to hometown hero Siyakholwa Kuse in their rematch last May 17, 2026, at the Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, South Africa.
It was a close fight early on, with both Jerusalem and Kuse trying to gain early momentum.
Jerusalem was cut early in the fight after a clash of heads in the second round that left a gash above the Filipino champion’s left eye.
Jerusalem kept pressuring Kuse. But the South African capitalized on his speed, quickness, and counterpunching.
Jerusalem had a huge break in the 11th round as he dropped Kuse with a solid right. However, it wasn’t enough to convince the judges that he won the fight.
Two judges scored the fight 116-111, while the third judge saw it a bit closer at 115-112.
Jerusalem fell to 25-4 with 12 knockouts, while Kuse improved to 10-3-1 with four knockouts.
Kuse avenged his loss to Jerusalem last year. Kuse challenged Jerusalem on Oct. 29, 2025, and lost by unanimous decision in Manila.
Jerusalem knew that he could lose his belt fighting in South Africa, yet still took the gamble.
Jerusalem was supposed to fight World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight king Oscar Collazo. But Collazo backed out and chose a different direction.
With Jerusalem’s loss, International Boxing Federation (IBF) minimumweight titleholder Pedro Taduran is now the only remaining world champion from the Philippines. / EKA
