It won’t just be the heavyweights and the supporting fights on the Joshua-Dubois card this weekend. Though all eyes will be on the big fight at Wembley, there will be a WBC minimumweight fight taking place on Sunday in the Philippines that might just prove to be the fight of the weekend. Defending WBC champ at 105 pounds, Melvin Jerusalem will face Luis Castillo in Mandaluyong, and lovers of the little giants are hoping for what will be a memorable war between the two.
30-year-old Jerusalem is a two-time champ at 105 pounds, the Filipino warrior known as “Gringo” having previously held the WBO belt at the weight. The champ will enjoy home advantage, yet he will be giving away a good deal of height against the 5’6” Castillo, who is also the younger man at age 27. Castillo, who will be having his first fight outside of Mexico, is unbeaten at 21-0-1(13), while defending champ Jerusalem is 22-3(12), and he will be making his first WBC title defense on Sunday. At a mere 5’2,” Jerusalem is a real ball of dynamite.
But Castillo, a southpaw, is vowing to score the KO and take the belt back home with him to Mexico.
“I am calm because we did a lot in training. I feel fine even though this is my first fight in the Philippines,” Castillo said at the presser this week. “I don’t see any reason why I won’t win this fight. It doesn’t matter. I will win by knockout or by decision.”
Jerusalem sings a different tune.
“We trained for that [him being the taller man]. We know that he will be attacking the body but we will be ready,” Jerusalem said at the same press conference. “It’s my dream to defend at home and I will do my best to keep the title and fight not just for me and my team but most importantly for my country. The title’s not going anywhere.”
These two tiny gladiators could put the big men (and the much higher-paid fighters) of the sport to shame this weekend. All Mexican warriors are tough, we know that, and with a win here, Castillo could become the next Mexican star. Jerusalem, though, is battle-hardened, and he remains hungry.
Catch this fight on Sunday (local time in the Philippines) if you can. Really, these smaller ring warriors rarely, if ever, get the credit and the attention they deserve.
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