MARVELOUS MELVIN

It didn’t take long for defending champion Melvin Jerusalem to prove his vast superiority over Mexican mandatory challenger Luis Castillo.

All it took was one right straight — delivered with laser-like precision and with loads of paralyzing power — for Jerusalem to put Castillo in his right place Saturday night.

In front of adoring fans during Manny Pacquiao Presents: Blow-By-Blow in Mandaluyong, Jerusalem connected with that right that sent Castillo down in the very first round.

Dazed and bewildered, Castillo, on shaky legs, got up at the count of six and was on the receiving end of hard shots until the bell sounded.

From then onwards, Jerusalem was hardly threatened by the visitor from Los Mochis, who came in as the No. 1 contender for Jerusalem’s World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight crown.

In fact, Jerusalem took the opportunity to display his reservoir of skills, popping Castillo with rights and lefts en route to a one-sided unanimous decision at the Mandaluyong City College Gymnasium.

American Stephen Blea and Filipino Arnulfo Najera both scored it 120-107 while Korean Shin Kyoung-ha had it 118-109.

A few times, Jerusalem resorted to a bit of showboating by making Castillo miss wildly with potentially fight-ending punches, moving from side-to-side and twirling around his rangy and long-armed rival.

When it was apparent that the fight was already his, Jerusalem attempted to deliver a knockout win by stepping on the attack and he rammed Castillo with several of his pet right hand.

Jerusalem later told scribes that he admired Castillo for his toughness.

“He was tough and I tried to knock him out but he kept on firing back. My hats off to him,” said Jerusalem, who was making the first defense of the WBC 105-lb strap that he had won last March in Nagoya.

Though he managed to put Castillo in trouble, Jerusalem insists he had to be cautious.

“I felt his punches and I knew that if I get too careless, he might land a big one,” said Jerusalem, who raised his record to 23-3 with 12 knockouts.

As for Castillo, who fought outside Mexico for the first time, the defeat was his first as his record sank to 21-1 with 13 knockouts.

So, what’s on the horizon for Jerusalem?

His handlers will push for a rematch with Oscar Collazo of Puerto Rico, holder of the World Boxing Organization title, in a clash for the WBC and WBO crowns in 2025.