Melvin Jerusalem might get his wish of taking that important step towards becoming undisputed champion.
The holder of the World Boxing Council (WBC) crown, he was called out by Oscar Collazo of Puerto Rico, the World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titleholder.
Jerusalem had retained the WBC 105-pound diadem last Sunday in Tokoname, Japan, besting Yudai Shigeoka on a 12-round unanimous decision.
That fight happened just hours after Collazo himself kept his twin titles following a knockout of Mexican Edwin Cano in Cancun.
The callout was made on social media and the Filipino didn’t mince any words and immediately made it known that he is also on board.
If the camps of Collazo, promoted by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and Jerusalem’s people, headed by Sanman Boxing’s JC Mananquil and Japanese Noboyuki Matsuura of ZIP come to an agreement, the fight could take place in New York in July.
“That’s what we are looking at,” Mananquil said.
If things fall into place, Jerusalem will get the chance to better what Marlon Tapales did two years ago when he became a two-belt super-bantamweight titlist after taking Murodjon Akhmadaliev’s International Boxing Federation (IBF) and WBA jewels.
And if he gets to snatch Collazo’s two championship belts, he would need just one for him to be called an undisputed champion.
Interestingly, the IBF champ is Filipino lefty Pedro Taduran, who, incidentally, makes the first defense of the strap he had taken away from Yudai’s brother, Shigeoka, last July.
The two are scheduled to face off next month in Osaka with the winner being lined up to figure in the ultimate battle for all the marbles.
In the meantime, Jerusalem and Collazo are keeping their fingers crossed that an agreement will be forged by their respective teams.
While Collazo is regarded as the best in the division, ringsiders agree that Jerusalem is No. 2.
And even if Collazo had already beaten Jerusalem in 2023, the New York-born banger would like to prove that his first win was not a fluke.
Jerusalem swears he was not in tip-top shape for that fight since his late arrival in the United States made him weak.
Arriving ten days before the fight, Jerusalem quit in his stool.
But if the rematch happens, Jerusalem and his team will be a lot more prepared.
“Firstly, we will leave for the US a month before the fight,” said Jerusalem, who was sleep-deprived and jet-lagged when he fought Collazo.
And aside from being much, much better than he was in 2023, Jerusalem feels he has a strong chance of getting even with Collazo.
This early, I am drooling at the mere mention of these two guys colliding.