FORMER world champion Melvin Jerusalem successfully bounced back from a loss with a convincing unanimous decision win over Francis Jay Diaz in the main event of “Brawl at the Mall XIV” on Oct. 29, 2023 at the Robinsons Mall
in General Santos City.
Jerusalem was impressive in his comeback after losing his World Boxing Organization (WBO) minimumweight belt in his first title defense against Oscar Collazo on March 27 in California.
Although the judges’ scorecards weren’t announced after the fight, the 29-year-old Jerusalem clearly dominated Diaz the whole fight. He had quick hands and swarmed Diaz with combinations to the head and body.
Diaz gained momentum near the end of the fight but Jerusalem welcomed his aggression and exchanged heavy blows with him.
“I’m happy that I was able to bounce back from my loss. I will work even harder because I think I still have a lot to improve if I want to compete on the world stage. I will for whatever reason my manager, promoter and coach decide on what’s next,” Santisima told SunStar Cebu. “If there’s an opportunity to fight for a world title, then I’ll be ready. That’s why I continue to train hard.”
Jerusalem improved to 21-3 with 12 knockouts, while Diaz dropped to 8-7-1 with a knockout.
Jerusalem is still highly ranked in the world. He’s rated No. 6 by the WBO and No. 8 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).
Other bouts
Alex Santisima Jr. (8-0, 2 KOs) kept his unbeaten streak with a convincing unanimous decision victory over journeyman Renan Portes (12-16, 6 KOs) in the main supporting bout.
Santisima Jr. dropped Portes with a counter right in the second round. Santisima Jr. knocked down Portes again in the fourth with a right hook to the body.
In the undercard, Abubacar Yanon (1-0, 1 KO) destroyed Jeorge Perez (1-8) in the second round, Mark Onal (1-0, 1 KO) had an impressive pro debut with a second round technical knockout win over Nenito Anislag (0-2), Gabriel Santisima (3-0, 2 KOs) knocked out Jegear Bereno (3-5-3) in the first round, Kevin Villanueva(2-0, 1 KO) demolished Nathaniel Juan (0-6) in the opening round of a scheduled four-round fight,David Santisima (1-0, 1 KO) scored a second round stoppage over Elizer Ambon (1-13, 1 KO) for his first pro win and Lourinz Biasong (1-0) had a successful pro debut with a unanimous decision over Jerry Tabago (3-13-1).