GOING FOR KNOCKOUT: Jerusalem adds more zip to punching power

CEBU CITY — Melvin Jerusalem knows what he is up against when he makes the second defense of the World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight crown on 30 March in Japan.

He’s not only fighting a hometown bet on hostile ground.

The pint-sized puncher from scenic Manolo Fortich in Bukidnon knows his future is at stake.

Challenging him at the Aichi Sky Expo is Yudai Shigeoka, the very same foe he had dethroned last year in Nagoya to bag the WBC 105-lb strap on a split decision.

If he emerges victorious once again, it would mean that his desire to become the country’s first undisputed world champion remains alive.

“That is something that I dream of becoming,” Jerusalem told DAILY TRIBUNE on Monday just before he put on some work at the ZIP Boxing and Wellness Center with lead trainer Michael Domingo.

But moving forward and coming closer to his mission will be put to a stern test when he travels to Japan to meet Shigeoka.

“I feel that I may have to score a knockout because if the fight goes the distance, things might not go my way.”

Last year, Jerusalem was fortunate to be awarded a split decision after scoring two knockdowns.

In the rematch, Jerusalem believes he has to score an abbreviated win so he could return home with the cherished and coveted green belt of the WBC still around his waist.

During his late-afternoon workout with Domingo, the two focused on power, the main thing that will decide the matter, according to the two.

But based on what Jerusalem displayed during this particular training session, there was plenty of it.

After taking a couple of Jerusalem’s combinations, Domingo, clad in a thick body protector, winced and complained — though jokingly — that Jerusalem had hurt him.

“Ang hirap kumita ng pera (It’s hard to make a living),” Domingo said as a handful of gym rats laughed and nodded in agreement.

But there was one guy who didn’t show any affection.

He didn’t follow the ones who laughed at Domingo’s antics.

Instead, he attacked the massive pad Domingo was wearing and unleashed a flurry of ferocious punches, the sound of each blow mimicking the noise being produced by an assault rifle firing on semi-automatic mode.

Domingo told a friend who was watching the proceedings that Jerusalem was hitting him like crazy.

“Para syang (inaudible). Lakas (Strong),” he hollered.

With less than three weeks before the scheduled 12-round contest, that is something Jerusalem and his team will be banking on where an apparent ambush awaits.