Jerusalem Receives WBO belt; Wants to Unify Titles
By Dong Secuya
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 17 Jan 2023
Melvin Jerusalem receives his WBO belt from Leon Panoncillor Jr.
Cebu City -- Newly crowned WBO minimumweight world champion Melvin 'Gringo' Jerusalem received his newly minted WBO championship belt this afternoon from WBO vice-president for Asia-Pacific Leon Panoncillo Jr during the formal turnover ceremony followed by a press conference at the Bayfront Hotel here attended by Jerusalem's managers husband and wife Nobuyuki and Marivic Matsuura together with Jerusalem's promoter JC Manangquil.
Jerusalem captured the highly coveted belt from Masataka Taniguchi of Japan by a stunning second round knockout at the Edion Arena in Osaka last Jan. 6 that put the Philippines back in the boxing world title map.
Panoncillo said that the well-crafted sparkling-stone laden belt given to Jerusalem was only the second of its kind awarded to its champions after the latest design was approved by the WBO during its convention last October in Puerto Rico. Japanese star Naoya Inoue was the first to received it after the 'Monster' unified all belts by defeating former WBO bantamweight champion Paul Butler of England on Dec. 13, 2022 in Tokyo.
Jerusalem later said that he wanted to unify all belts and aim to fight WBA super champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong aka Knockout CP Freshmart of Thailand as a first step.
Seated (L-R): WBO Vice-President for Asia-Pacific Leon Panoncillo Jr., JC Manangquil of Sanman Boxing, Jerusalem, Marivic Matsuura and Nobuyuki Matsuura of Zip Boxing with Zip/Sanman boxers standing in the background headed by KJ Cataraja and Jeo Santisima with trainer Michael Domingo during Tuesday's presscon at the Bayfront Hotel in Cebu City.
Victorious duo: WBO champion Melvin Jerusalem (L) and trainer Michael Domingo.
Jerusalem's manager Marivic Matsuura however said that they have received offers for Jerusalem to fight in Japan against Japanese contenders, which if one would be finalized, would most likely be Jerusalem's next opponent.
Additionally, former world champion Wilfredo Mendez of Puerto Rico and compatriot Oscar Collazo was slated to fight on January 28 in Los Angeles for the eliminator to challenge Jerusalem. Mendez however withdrew from the fight after an injury and Collazo will now face Mexico’s Yudel Reyes. The winner of the Collazo vs Reyes fight will become the division's top contender. It remains to be seen however if the Collazo-Reyes winner would be designated as Jerusalem's mandatory.
Meanwhile Jerusalem is scheduled to return to his hometown in Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon for a well-deserved rest and savor his victory with his townmates before returning back to Cebu next month to prepare for his next challenge that will most probably be in April or May, according to his promoter JC Manangquil.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Dong Secuya.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Round 12 with Mauricio Sulaiman: The WBC Continues the Fight for the Good of the Sport
By Mauricio Sulaimán, Fri, 20 Mar 2026AMMO: ADAMES FIGHT WILL BE EXPLOSIVE
Fri, 20 Mar 2026Carlos De Leon Training Camp Notes
Fri, 20 Mar 2026The Highly Anticipated Box Fan Expo Invitational 2026 Returns with A USA Boxing Amateur Show
Fri, 20 Mar 2026Placibe, Sales tops Sprint Challenge
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 20 Mar 2026Lester Martinez vs. Immanuwel Aleem Los Angeles Media Day Quotes
Thu, 19 Mar 2026MAPUA, PSKAI R-10 to play in Best of Best
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 19 Mar 2026IIEE Metro East dominates the 4th D’ Engineers’ Darts Cup 2026
By Marlon Bernardino, Thu, 19 Mar 2026LIDDARD: WHY I'M RUNNING MATCHROOM HALF MARATHON AFTER TITLE DEFENCE AGAINST DENNY
Thu, 19 Mar 2026Press Conference Notes: DAZN and Top Rank Sign Multi-Year Rights Deal
Thu, 19 Mar 2026DAZN and Top Rank announce a landmark multi-year media rights deal bringing elite events and a storied archive to DAZN users worldwide
Thu, 19 Mar 2026Sampson Boxing Signs Top Junior Lightweight Contender Charly Suarez to a Promotional Contract
Thu, 19 Mar 2026THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 17 MARCH 2026: Collazo Stops Haro; Fundora KO Ruiz; Barboza Outpoints Sims; Cacace UD Dickens
By Eric Armit, Wed, 18 Mar 2026Tapales Near Peak Form Ahead of April 3 Tokyo Showdown with Oguni
Wed, 18 Mar 2026MILLER AND PERO CLASH IN HEAVYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN IN LAS VEGAS ON APRIL 25
Wed, 18 Mar 2026