PH Fighter of the Year, Top Fighters of 2024
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 27 Dec 2024
Jerusalem is PhilBoxing Fighter of the Year.
I believe it is high time for our local boxing community through this website, philboxing.com, to come up with our own Fighter of the Year and such other awards of recognition for Filipino fighters who distinguished themselves during the year.
I submit I am just among the many writers and contributors who have been regularly submitting articles to this website which I also believe has become the authority as far as Philippine boxing is concerned in the international boxing community.
I also submit I am among the least and most junior of the many regular writers and contributors to this boxing website that counted on such boxing experts and pundits as Quinito Henson, Eric Amit, Carlos Costa, Nick Giongco, Lito de los Reyes and of course our editor in chief Dong Secuya.
Be that as it may, I wrote this article in the hope of eliciting feedbacks that hopefully will start the ball rolling so to speak towards the institution of this annual yearend awards of recognition to our worthy and deserving Filipino professional pugilists.
Fighter of the Year- Melvin Jerusalem
Melvin Jerusalem is the cause for celebration and jubilation for a nation hungry for another world boxing title and champion after a dismal 2023. Actually, Melvin had been in the same position early in 2023 when he knocked out Japanese Masataka Taniguchi for the WBO minimumweight crown ending the drought for Filipino world champion following a more dismal 2022. But Melvin got to hold on to his world title for only a few months losing it on his stool to then fast rising Oscar Collazo of Puerto Rico in the US.
This year, Melvin made sure there would be no sad rerun. He broke the country's drought spell in world boxing championship again by beating a Japanese Yudai Shigeoka in Japan. He won by just split decision despite flooring Yudai twice.
With the first title defense jinx that bedeviled many a Filipino titlists including himself hovering over him, Jerusalem was slated to meet a tough Mexican, Luis Castillo, actually his mandatory challenger for his initial title defense.
There were fears that the jinx will strike again if Melvin were to make his first defense abroad. As it turned out the Japanese promoter who holds the right to Melvin's next fight after winning the belt from Yudai Shigeoka, expressed no interest in holding his defense versus Castillo in Japan.
Boxing great and former Senator Manny Pacquiao pounced on the opportunity to hold Jerusalem's title defense in the Philippines right before his countrymen. Through MP Promotions which partly promotes Jerusalem, Melvin's defense versus Castillo was slated as main event in the MP Promotion's weekly regular boxing show aired over Manny Pangilinan's TV 5's One Sport cable channel last September.
Jerusalem made it two major wins in 2024 by pounding out a 12 round unanimous decision over the tough and physically bigger Castillo to the delight of boxing fans watching live in Mandaluyong and over One Sport.
With this performance, Melvin Jerusalem richly deserves the award as the Philippines' Fighter of Year.
Honorable Mention: Pedro Taduran
Pedro Taduran could have given Jerusalem a stiff competition for top FOTY honor had his own first defense of his newly re-claimed IBF world minimumweight title against a Chinese top ranking contender in Jeju, South Korea not fell through.
Though the Chinese challenger is a reputed knockout artist, Taduran prevailing had that fight pushed through and via knockout or stoppage is a distinct possibility given the proven quality of fighter The General is especially in major fights abroad.
Truth to tell, though Taduran won his world title in Japan months after Jerusalem's feat, his title victory received more chatters and higher significance from fans and pundits alike as the champion he deposed, Ginjiro Shigeoka was generally considered as the better of the Shigeoka fighting brothers erstwhile world titlists.
The manner he won the crown was also more convincing. Pedro battered Ginjiro, a former Ring Magazine's New Face to Watch awardee, so badly and in one sided fashion that the referee had to halt the fight and save him from a certain gory knockout defeat and further damage that could spell finis to his young career.
Actually, Taduran also won his two fights during the 12 months in the reckoning having decisively beaten Jake Amparo in their world title eliminator bout in December 2023.
Fight of the Year: Jerusalem SD 12 Yudai Shigeoka
Knockout of the Year (tied): Taduran TKO7 Ginjiro Shigeoka, Johnriel Casimero TKO 1 Saul Sanchez
Upset of the Year: Vince Paras UD 10 Hiroto Kyoguchi
Discovery of the Year: Weljohn Mindoro
Prospect of the Year (tied): Arvin John Paciones, Lienard Sarcon
PH Top Fighters-2024
01. Melvin Jerusalem (minimumweight)
02. Pedro Taduran (minimumweight)
03 Johnriel Casimero (super bantamweight)
04. Marlon Tapales (super bantamweight)
05 Mark Magsayo (super featherweight)
06. Charley Suarez (super featherweight)
07. Christian Araneta (light flyweight)
08. Arvin John Paciones (light flyweight)
09. Carl Jammes Martin ( super bantamweight)
10. Lienard Sarcon (featherweight)/ Gerald Into (lightweight)
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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