MELVIN JERUSALEM stakes his World Boxing Council (WBC) minimum weight crown against South African challenger Siyakholwa Kuse in the main event of the ‘Thrilla in Manila 2’ at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday.
The ‘Thrilla 2’ celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic ‘Thrilla in Manila’ between the late Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975.
Like everybody else in the card, Jerusalem said he’s excited about fighting before Filipino fans.
‘I cannot hide my excitement because I’m fighting here in our country and it’s the anniversary of the ‘Thrilla in Manila,’ said Jerusalem, who tipped an identical weight at 104.80 lbs with his opponent.
‘I must be at my best,’ he said. ‘Despite my hometown advantage, I cannot relax because he is after my belt.’
The two-time world champion Jerualem is 24-3 won-lost with 12 knockouts while the 22-year-old Kuse is 9-2-1 record with four knockouts.
Jerusalem is defending his belt for the fifth time.
Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial goes for his sixth straight professional victiory when he fights his first 10-rounder against Venezuela’s Eddy Colmenares for the vacant WBC International middleweight belt.
Carl Jammes Martin battles Thai Aran Dipaen in a non-title super bantamweight bout and former unified super bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales is set for a showdown with Fernando Toro of Venezuela also in a non-title 122-lb fight.
The card is organized by Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao.