WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem is ready to face the best and unify all the titles in his division.
“We will always be prepared and train really hard, so that if a world title unification comes, we’ll be ready,” Jerusalem told SunStar Cebu.
Oscar Collazo holds the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) minimumweight titles. He’s also The Ring Magazine minimumweight champion.
The 31-year-old Jerusalem has a score to settle with Collazo. The unbeaten Puerto Rican dethroned Jerusalem from his seat as WBO champion after beating him via seventh-round stoppage in 2023.
The other minimumweight champion is Filipino banger Pedro Taduran, who has the International Boxing Federation (IBF) belt around his waist.
“I’m willing to fight either of them, if given the chance. I will train harder because I know I’ll be facing the best,” said Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is coming off a successful title defense last Oct. 29, 2025, in the main event of the “Thrilla in Manila” 50th Anniversary card at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Jerusalem was all praises for his 22-year-old challenger, Siyakholwa Kuse.
“He was a tough opponent,” said Jerusalem. “That’s why we should never underestimate our opponent regardless of their record because they too have trained for the fight. I don’t know what round I adjusted but it was in the later rounds. In the early rounds, I had a hard time breaking a sweat and I was very sleepy. Our fight started at around 1 a.m. But I don’t make that as an excuse. He was a good fighter and he has a good chance of becoming a world champion in the future.”
Kuse gave Jerusalem all sorts of trouble in the early rounds of the fight with his blinding speed and quick combinations. However, Jerusalem used his experience and outgunned Kuse to finish the fight strong. / EKA