Jerusalem shuts out Castillo to retain WBC title

MANILA, Philippines — And still.

Melvin Jerusalem delighted the home crowd in his first title defense, retaining the WBC minimumweight crown with a unanimous decision over Mexican challenger Luis Castillo in the Manny Pacquiao Promotion’s Blow-by-Blow main event last night at the Mandaluyong City College Gym.

Jerusalem landed a clean right straight to Castillo’s face in the last 26 seconds of the opening bell to score a roaring knockdown and set the tone for his utter domination all throughout.

With the rabid Pinoy fans behind him, it was all Jerusalem from there on as he captured almost all the rounds in convincing fashion for a 118-109, 120-107, 120-107 call to hand the first defeat of Castillo.

The Mexican warned of a knockout win to bring home the title. He instead barely survived being knocked out.

Jerusalem, who snatched the WBC crown from home bet Yudai Shigeoka last March in Nagoya, improved to 23 wins and three losses with 13 knockouts. Castillo dropped to 21-1-1 in his first fight and loss outside Mexico.

“Hindi ko minadali ‘yung laban kasi matibay ‘yung kalaban. Matibay si Luis. Hindi ko rin inaasahan ‘yung knockdown sa first round. Ginawa ko lang ‘yung game plan at training namin buong laban at ito ang kinalabasan,” said Jerusalem.

A successful, impressive defense it was for the 30-year-old fighter from Zip Sanman Boxing Gym in the country’s first world title defense bout in seven years made possible by MP’s Blow-by-Blow.

And longer than that was the last title defense for a WBC belt by a Filipino at home when Pacquiao himself retained his WBC flyweight crown against Mexico’s Gabriel Mira at the Araneta Coliseum in 1999.

In this fateful evening, the spotlight was on the Bukidnon pride, who flaunted a bevy of his pet straight and hooks all-match long that jolted the Sinaloa bet each and every time.

After the first round, the biggest was in the second when Jerusalem came through with a crisp straight to Castillo anew in the last 10 seconds that put him against the ropes before being saved by the bell.

Meanwhile, former world champion Jerwin Ancajas made a comeback in style, drubbing Thai veteran Sukpraserd Ponpitak with a fifth-round win via disqualification in the featherweight undercard.

Ponpitak incurred multiple penalties starting in the third round after excessive attempts to push and take down Ancajas, the ex-IBF super flyweight king, that led to the fight’s stoppage of the 10-round bout at the 2:34 mark of Round 5.