WORLD Boxing Council (WBC) two-time strawweight world champion Melvin Jerusalem is eager to defend his title as he will face the unbeaten Mexican pug Luis Castillo at the Mandaluyong City College gym in Mandaluyong City on Sunday. After Jerusalem's previous heartbreak in defending his World Boxing Organization minimum weight title as he fell to Puerto Rican's Oscar Collazo in seven rounds last May 2023 — the Filipino slugger vows that this time he is the one who will raise his fist inside the ring. "What I can say is that I am willing to offer myself for the country and win this match. I believe that God is with me in this fight," the spirited Jerusalem said. But Jerusalem's quest to successfully defend his title will not be a walk in the park as he needs to give his all to scratch Castillo's flawless record of 21-0-1 on which in 13 of his matches, the Mexican won via knockout. Despite that Jerusalem is having the home-court advantage as the Filipino fans will stand before him, Castillo displayed confidence and brushed off the potential "hostile" fans that will watch in their match. "That's fine with me, at the end of the day, there are only two people inside the ring. I'm pretty sure that I can fight, and I will fight for my life, I will win, and I [own] this," the Mexican said. Jerusalem and Castillo both tipped the scale at 104.8 lbs. Jerusalem first reigned as a champion last January 2023 after knocking out Japan's Masataka Taniguchi in two rounds, before falling to Collazo. In the WBC minimumweight championship, Jerusalem successfully took the belt last March 31 after defeating Yudai Shigeoka via split decision to hold the title once more. Now having a chance to defend his WBC title on home turf, Jerusalem wants to add another win in his 22-3 win-loss record with 12 knockouts. The 30-year-old Bukidnon's pride and the Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico, native will be part of the long history of the classic Philippines-Mexico boxing rivalry. Read The Rest at :