Jerusalem dethroned by South African

Philippine boxing suffered a heartbreaking loss Saturday night (early Sunday morning in Manila) when Melvin Jerusalem got dethroned by Siyakholwa Kuse in their bloody World Boxing Council (WBC) strawweight title clash at the Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Despite scoring a knockdown in the 11th round courtesy of his sneaky right straight, Jerusalem lost on the scorecards of all three judges.

Thabo Spampool of South Africa scored it 116-111 while David Irving of the United Kingdom saw it 116-112 and Jerrold Tomeldan of the Philippines had it 115-112, all for Kuse, who avenged his points defeat to Jerusalem last October at the Araneta Coliseum.

It was a chess match in the first rounds as the two employed sized each other up while trading hard blows.

But a cut suffered by Jerusalem early in the third round due to an accidental clash of heads.

That same cut would bother the Filipino fighter, who was hoping to retain the WBC 105-pound strap for the fourth time.

From the seventh onwards, Kuse showcased his brilliant counter-punching skills despite getting floored in the 11th canto from that potent Jerusalem right.

The victory raised Kuse’s win-loss-draw card to 10-3-1 with four knockouts while the loss dropped Jerusalem’s mark to 25-4 with 12 knockouts.

Jerusalem’s face was bloodied most of the time and the cut worsened as Kuse hit it countless times with his lead right.

“The cut proved crucial because it bothered Melvin,” said lead trainer Michael Domingo, who arrived with the boxer in Johannesburg on 30 April to get used to the high altitude and weather.

The defeat will cost Jerusalem a lot because he had been angling for a shot at the two titles of Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo.

JC Mananquil, the Filipino promoter of Jerusalem who was also at ringside, revealed that there is a clause in the contract for a third fight in the event Kuse wins.

But for now, Jerusalem will take a break as his team studies their next move.

His loss leaves International Boxing Federation titleholder Pedro Taduran as the country’s lone world boxing champion.