AFTER losing his world title, Melvin Jerusalem will take some time off to reflect on his future in the sport.
Jerusalem lost his World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight title to South African Siyakholwa Kuse by unanimous decision last May 16, 2026, at the Emperor’s Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.
“I’ll take some time to heal. I’ll rest for now so that I can think about what is best for me,” Jerusalem told SunStar Cebu.
Jerusalem said he suffered three cuts during the fight from apparent headbutts.
Jerusalem dropped Kuse in the 11th round, but it wasn’t enough to sway the judges and give him the win.
Kuse was ahead on all three scorecards 116-112, 116-111, and 115-112.
Despite the judges’ scorecards, Jerusalem, and some fans, felt that he was the winner of that fight.
“A lot of people said that I won that fight. But for me, it was expected that I would lose if it went the distance,” he said. “There was a time that I had a problem with my vision because blood was flowing into my eyes, and I had trouble throwing my punches. But I don’t believe I lost that fight.”
At 32 years old, Jerusalem, a two-time world champion, is still at the peak of his game.
Some of his possible options could be an immediate rematch with Kuse or a moving up to the light-flyweight division to target a world title in a second weight class.
Despite the huge setback, Jerusalem remains optimistic and believes he will be back at the top anytime soon.
“I know I will be a champion again, if it is God’s will,” he said. “I will work hard and do my best to come back.” / EKA
