Jerusalem dethrones Japanese foe to wrest WBC minimumweight belt

MANILA, Philippines -- Filipino boxer Melvin Jerusalem took home the WBC minimumweight championship after dealing Japanese foe Yudai Shigeoka his first professional loss Sunday evening in Nagoya, Japan.

Two judges scored the bout 114-112 in favor of Jerusalem, while the third one scored the contest 114-113 in favor of the hometown bet.

The Filipino knocked his opponent down twice in the match, landing a tough right hand in the third and another in the sixth round.

Despite these knockdowns, Shigeoka was able to continue on and go toe-to-toe with Jerusalem.

Jerusalem continued his aggressiveness throughout the match, but the Japaneses fighter was able to stand his ground.

Ultimately, the match had to go to the judges' scorecards, ending up in the Filipino being declared as the 105-pound champ.

With the win, the 30-year-old is now holding a 22-3-0 boxing record. Shigeoka, on the other hand, dropped to 8-1.

Jerusalem is currently the sole Filipino world champion.

Earlier in the day, Filipino Jake Amparo failed to grab the IBF world minimumweight championship from Shigeoka's brother, Ginjiro, after suffering a technical knockout defeat in the second round.

Ginjiro unleashed a booming left hand that connected in the Filipino's body, leaving him unable to stand.

Amparo was a last-minute replacement in the bout, with the match being agreed on just last week, after fellow Filipino ArAr Andales had to pull out due to weight issues.

Amparo dropped to 14-6-1 in his professional career, while Ginjiro remained unblemished in 11 professional fights.