Melvin Jerusalem successfully defends title in historic Thrilla in Manila II

Filipino boxer Melvin Jerusalem successfully defended his World Boxing Council (WBC) crown after a unanimous decision victory against Siyakholwa Kuse in the Thrilla in Manila II at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, Oct. 30

Jerusalem completed this third defence while improving his win-loss record to 25 wins and three losses, while Kuse dropped to a 9-3-1 slate.

Kuse began the fight aggressively, which led to multiple stoppages in the contests after repeatedly losing his footing, which came in handy for the South African after Jerusalem tagged him with a counter left hook that the referee counted as a slip.

Both fighters continued to trade combinations, with the fight close on the scorecards heading into the eighth round. The Filipino swung for the fences in the championship rounds, leading to a strong finish that saw Kuse get rocked before the bell rang.

By the end, the judges had it 116-112, 115-113, and 116-112 for Jerusalem, who extended his winning streak to five.

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STILL THE CHAMPION

Melvin Jerusalem retains the WBC Minimumweight Championship after winning via unanimous decision against South Africa’s Siyakholwa Kuse in the “Thrilla in Manila 2” main event. | via @PaigeJavier pic.twitter.com/tYN1PjJFha

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) October 29, 2025

“Magaling din yung kalaban natin,” Jerusalem said after the match..

The 31-year-old is now on a collision course for unification bouts against either fellow and International Boxing Federation (IBF) Pedro Taduran or World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) Oscar Collazo.

In the undercard, Eumir Marcial toppled Eddy Colmenares via a close unanimous decision victory, while Carl Jammes Martin overcame an early knockdown to outpoint Aran Dipaen.

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