Reporting from Hamburg in Germany, site of the 62nd World Boxing Council (WBC) convention, American dealmaker Sean Gibbons revealed that minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem appears to be locked to face Yudai Shigeoka in a rematch.
Even Jerusalem himself told DAILY TRIBUNE that a second meeting between them is in the offing.
“I was told that they want to get back at me,” Jerusalem, who is in Hamburg, said on Friday.
Jerusalem took the WBC belt away from Shigeoka last March in Nagoya and his promotional team has an option to do the Filipino champion’s second defense in Japan.
Last September, Jerusalem easily defeated Luis Castillo of Mexico.
Gibbons said it was his understanding that JC Mananquil and Shigeoka’s outfit — Kameda Promotions — already have a prior agreement.
And assuming Jerusalem gets past Shigeoka, Gibbons would include him in the triple world championship night commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Thrilla in Manila on 4 October 2025.
“We would put him there to make a voluntary defense,” added Gibbons, noting that they will likely appeal with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman to make the Shigeoka clash a mandatory.
This early, Jerusalem knows he will be in for a rough ride in the Shigeoka rematch.
A few days ago, the Bukidnon native got up early to shadowbox and do some light running in Hamburg.
Jerusalem is one of the Philippines’ two reigning world champions. The other is Pedro Taduran, holder of the International Boxing Federation strap, also in the 105-lb class.