CEBU CITY — Melvin Jerusalem will rely heavily on his punching power in a bid to retain the World Boxing Council (WBC) minimumweight crown this 30 March in Japan.
But endurance and staying power are also big factors that will determine the outcome of his rematch with Yudai Shigeoka at the Aichi Sky Expo.
In anticipation of a long and grueling battle, Jerusalem is doing breathing exercises in his pool routine in the morning.
Last time he met Shigeoka, the fight lasted 12 rounds and Jerusalem was fortunate to have been awarded a split decision.
“I have to be at my best because the challenger is out for revenge,” said Jerusalem, who will be making the second defense of the WBC 105-lb belt.
Helping him out in his preparation is lead trainer Michael Domingo, who insists Jerusalem already packs TNT on his fists and execution will be key.
Jerusalem spent the first phase of training in Nagoya before setting camp proper here in the Queen City.
The last few days, Jerusalem has ticked off a few pre-fight requirements, including an MRI last Monday.
His team will depart for Nagoya on 23 March but will be heading to Manila on the 19th or 20th to attend the Elorde-Pacquiao Awards at Okada.
“I am not taking Yudai for granted even if I had beaten him before. The thing is, he is determined to get back at me and that is a prime motivation for me not to look past him,” said Jerusalem, who parades a 23-3 win-loss record with 12 knockouts.
In his first defense last September, the Bukidnon native scored a lopsided win over mandatory challenger Luis Castillo of Mexico.
In that fight, Jerusalem knocked down Castillo in the very first round, had him in trouble a few times but could not come up with the coup d grace to score a knockout.
Still, it was an impressive win by Jerusalem, who dreams of becoming an undisputed champion.
“But that’s down the road. I have to beat Shigeoka first,” he said.
Jerusalem is looking for a knockout as something funny could happen in the event the fight goes the full route.
But if a knockout doesn’t come, Jerusalem has vowed to put on a dominating performance that should give the judges second thoughts about scoring against his favor.