Code red

Melvin Jerusalem isn’t taking any chances in his third defense of the World Boxing Council (WBC) strawweight crown against South African Siyakholwa Kuse on 29 October at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“I am looking at him as a serious threat,” Jerusalem told DAILY TRIBUNE in Pilipino during a break in his training in Monday in Cebu City.

Jerusalem has seen Kuse in action on video and is impressed with what his challenger brings to the table.

“Not taking him for granted. Have to be alert all the time because he is coming over to take my title away,” said Jerusalem, who enters the scheduled 12-rounder the heavy favorite.

The 22-year-old Kuse, parading a 9-2-1 win-loss-draw record with four knockouts, is arriving on 22 October.

As for Jerusalem and his team, they will be relocating their training camp in Cebu City at around the same time Kuse will be touching down in the country.

“By the time we get to Manila, our training sessions won’t be as hard as the previous weeks,” said Jerusalem, who enters the Big Dome headliner with a 24-3-0 slate with 12 knockouts.

Training under Michael Domingo at the ZIP Sanman Gym, Jerusalem’s workouts are at its peak.

“Will be doing ten rounds this week and then we start taper off,” he added.

Jerusalem had won the WBC 105-pound crown from Yudai Shigeoka early last year in Osaka and defended it against undefeated mandatory challenger Luis Castillo of Mexico in September.

Last March in Nagoya, Jerusalem gave Shigeoka a chance at payback but the Filipino still beat him to retain the title for the second time.

A victory over Kuse should boost Jerusalem’s chances of earning a shot at Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo, who is eyeing to become undisputed champion.

Collazo has the World Boxing Organization and World Boxing Association straps and even The Ring magazine belt.

The remaining holder in the 105-pound class — Filipino Pedro Taduran — reigns in the International Boxing Federation.

The Jerusalem-Kuse clash is the main event of the country’s 50th year celebration of the Thrilla in Manila that is being put together by Manny Pacquiao and the Araneta Group of Companies in coordination with the Philippine Sports Commission, MP Promotions chief Sean Gibbons and Blow-By-Blow top executives Marife Barrera and Len Tomas.