Melvin Jerusalem vs Yudai Shigeoka fight preview, tale of the tape, betting odds and prediction
Jerusalem and Shigeoka NOT prepared to split the difference
By James Blears
You could almost be forgiven for thinking that if you've knocked down your opponent twice in a fight for the world title, you're well on your way to certain victory.
However, this wasn't the case almost a year to the day ago, when Filipino hard-case Melvin Jerusalem decked then reigning and defending champion Yudai Shigeoka from Japan twice, both with jarring counter right hands.
Southpaw Yudai was pawing and prodding with a lackadaisical right jab in round three, when all of a sudden, over came a jolting, jarring precise right counter, which put him on the seat of his nice shiny shorts. The dose was precisely and almost exactly repeated three rounds later. You live and learn?
It's a strong argument for open scoring. Not unnaturally, Melvin assumed he was a country mile ahead on the scorecards, but after 12 rounds, he was a split decision victor.
It was a much closer run thing than he probably imagined or anticipated. If the scores had been announced he would have realised it was nowhere near as comfortable as he'd thought.
It also depends where the knockdowns come. It they occur in the first half of the fight, it's still possible within the time-frame, to make up lost ground by sheer endeavour to make amends. If the dispatch to the canvass occurs towards the end of an even-steven encounter, then it's quite a different matter and ultimately more decisive.
WBC straw weight champion Melvin 'Gringo' Jerusalem defends his title for the second time, on this occasion against the man from whom he shore the title via SD, Yudai Shigeoka, with the dateline set for Sunday March 30th at Aichi Sky Expo, Tokoname, Japan.
Melvin has the hard bark timber capacity and resilience of a seasoned fighter. Back in 2017 he was ranked ninth by the World Boxing Council and took on legendary WBC champion Wanheng Menayothin, losing a close UD. Melvin was docked a point in round eight for a low blow. This proved costly, because otherwise it would have ended as a majority draw.
A hard hitter who stuck to the task, six years later he won the WBO straw weight title via a thunderous, stunning right which put Masataka Taniguchi on the canvass in round two, and he was unable to beat the count.
Then Melvin came up against undefeated, hard hitting southpaw Oscar 'El Pupilo' Collazo who battered him from pillar to post and he was unable to continue after seven one sided rounds. Yet just two fights later, he showed his bounce back willpower by defeating Yudai. The fact this re-match is in Tokyo, which is home turf for Yudai, isn`t going to particularly concern Melvin, who has spent most of his career as a road warrior.
Melvin's pro record is 23-3, 12 KO`s, while Yudai is 9-1, 5 KOs. Nowadays boxing careers are briefer. Opportunities for title tilts come sooner and with then the larger purses follow. On the plus side there are numerically less gruelling fights, and the chance to retire early with money neatly tucked into the bank. That is for the talented and lucky minority.
Yet in the minus column and on the debit side, many fighters are far less experienced, savvy and accomplished at their trade. The old timers wring their hands, saying that in their day, they never got the chance to fight for the crown until they had fought thirty plus fights and by then they were fully qualified master craftsmen as well as deft draughtsmen.
Boxing talent sometimes tends to run in families. Yudai's younger brother Ginjiro is a former WBO straw weight champion and also a southpaw. As For Yudai, who aged 27 is four years younger than Melvin, he's already mixed in rarefied company and proved his teak toughness.
Two years ago he was going to fight then champion Panya Pradabsri for the title. But Panya pulled out and instead Yudai fought former WBO champion Wilfredo Mendez for the WBC Interim title, knocking him down in the fifth and finishing the job two rounds later when a battered Will wasn't able to beat the count.
Yudai finally fought Panya winning the title with a UD victory, in spite of the fact that he fractured both of his hands in round five. His first defence was against Melvin, where he came unstuck. He won his next fight against Filipino Samuel Salva via UD.
Melvin has successfully defended his title once, with a UD victory over Mexico's long armed southpaw Luis Castillo, who he dropped hard in round one with his mighty right. Luis was also pawing with his right lead when he got caught flush. Melvin immediately followed up and Luis was reeling, but the sweet music of the bell intervened just in the nick of time and Luis was able to recoup, regroup and fight back, losing a UD.
Even though this is a rematch between Melvin and Yudai, no two fights are the same. For this one, Yudai must stiffen up his right southpaw lead and retrieve it after throwing it, so as to avoid the gap which was twice ruthlessly exploited in fight one. He needs to be firing on all cylinders much earlier upping his work rate. Melvin who possesses real power in his right hand, needs to land it and then follow up, sealing escape routes for his well- conditioned opponent, who managed to shake off the effects of both knockdowns and come on strong as the fight progressed, to make it close by the end.
Whoever wins could well take on WBO Oscar Collazo 11-0, 9 KOs who is still undefeated. Since defeating Melvin, he`s fought four times since then, stopping three of his opponents.
Whoever wins the fight between Melvin and Yudai, will have learned and adapted the better. Rather than use his right jap as a prodding pathfinder, Yudai must apply some snap, crackle and pop to it.
Melvin who is less rangy and more compact in his style must again let that potent right go and if he can canvass Yudai, this time he must follow up to finish the job. Who has learned the lessons better and can flourish the results of their homework, to inflict top marks and reap the dividends?
Tale of the Tape
MELVIN JERUSALEM
WBC Strawweight World Champion
Age: 31
DOB: February 22, 1994
Residence, birthplace: Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon, Philippines
Record: 23-3, 12 KOs
Total rounds: 164
World championship fights: 3-2, 1 KO
Height: 5’2” – 157cm
Reach: 62” – 157cm
Stance: Right-handed
YUDAI SHIGEOKA
WBC #1 at Strawweight
Age: 27
DOB: April 16, 1997
Residence: Tokyo, Japan
Birthplace: Kumamoto, Japan
Record: 9-1, 5 KOs
Total rounds: 72
World championship fights: 1-1, 0 KOs
Height: 5’3” – 160cm
Reach: 64” – 162cm
Stance: Left-handed
Betting Odds
7/4 Melvin Jerusalem
4/7 Yudai Shigeoka
16/1 Draw
Prediction
Oddspedia: "The betting tip for the winner in the game between Melvin Jerusalem v Yudai Shigeoka is: Yudai Shigeoka. The winner probabilities are: 39.7% (Melvin Jerusalem), 5% (X), 63.61% (Yudai Shigeoka)."
WBC Top 10 Flyweight Champions
1. Ricardo Lopez (Mexico)
2. Oleydong Sithsamerchai (Thai)
3. Wanheng Menayothin (Thai)
4. Hideyuki Ohashi (Japan)
5. Eagle Kyowa (Japan)
6. Wandee Chor Chareon (Thai)
7. Jose Antonio Aguirre (Mexico)
8. Hiroki Ioka (Japan)
9. Napa Kiatwanchai (Thai)
10. Kazuto Ioka (Japan)
