Melvin Jerusalem vs Yudai Shigeoka March 30th, 2025
WBC Minimumweight (strawweight) Boss Melvin Jerusalem of the Philippines meets Japan’s Yudai Shigeoka in a rematch in Tokoname, Japan this Sunday, March 30th. The two first met 364 days ago with Jerusalem winning the belt via an upset split decision in a very close fight in Nagoya to hand Shigeoka his lone career defeat. He also dropped him in the third and sixth rounds along the way. Since then, Jerusalem defended the belt via a wide unanimous decision over Luis Castillo in September while Shigeoka beat Samuel Salva by a 10-round unanimous decision in August. Shigeoka originally won the title in October, 2023 when he beat Panya Pradabsri by unanimous decision.
Jerusalem vs Shigeoka Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Melvin Jerusalem +150
- Yudai Shigeoka -180
My Pick
The 27-year-old Shigeoka is a southpaw and the older brother of former IBF Minimumweight Champion Ginjiro Shigeoka. Both brothers lost their world titles recently however. Yudai won four national Japanese titles in high school as a pinweight and captured the All Japan Boxing Championship in 2018 as a flyweight and made it to the finals of the World University Championships as a light flyweight.
He planned on competing in the 2020 Olympic Games while attending university, dropped out of school and turned pro when the junior flyweight division was eliminated by the International Olympic Committee. Shigeoka reportedly went 82-10 with 20 Ko’s as an amateur and has a 9-1 record as a pro with 5 Ko’s after making his debut in 2019. He has 72 rounds of pro experience and possesses decent power as 55.6 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage including four of his last eight. Shigeoka measures 5-feet-3-inches tall with a 64-inch reach and has never fought outside of Japan as a pro.
He won the vacant Japanese Youth Light Flyweight Title in February, 2021 with a fifth-round TKO over Ryu Horikawa and added the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Minimumweight Belt in his next outing nine months later via a 12-round majority decision over Tsubasa Koura. Next in his collection was the vacant Japanese Minimumweight Crown which he won by stopping Tatsuro Nakashima in the third round. He became the WBC Interim Minimumweight Champion in April, 2023 when he halted Wilfredo Mendez in the seventh frame and captured the full belt in October with his unanimous decision win over Panya Pradabsri. That belt was then lost to Jerusalem.
As for Jerusalem, he’s 31 years old and makes the ring walk with a mark of 23-3 with 12 Ko’s and has fought 164 rounds since turning pro in 2014 following his amateur career. As an amateur, he won a silver medal at the Philippine National Games in 2014 as a light flyweight in the Elite Men’s Division. He has slightly better-than average power as 52.2 per cent of his victories have come by stoppage, but has halted just two of his past eight opponents.
At a height of 5-feet-2-inches with a 62-inch reach, he gives up an inch in height and two inches in reach to the Shigeoka. Jerusalem’s first loss came at the hands of Chayaphon Moonsri by 12-round unanimous decision in 2017 in a shot at the WBC Minimumweight Title after having a point deducted in the eighth round for a low blow. The final scorecards read 114-113, 114-113 and 115-113.
He then lost his very next fight when Joey Canoy beat him via a 10-round unanimous decision after Jerusalem was dropped in the seventh round and once again was deducted a point for low blows in the eighth round. The third loss on his record came to Oscar Collazo in May, 2023 when he was stopped after seven rounds to lose his WBO Minimumweight Title. Jerusalem had won the belt just four months earlier when he halted Masataka Taniguchi in the second round.
Prediction…
Shigeoka possesses a bit more power than Jerusalem and is the naturally bigger man but it didn’t help him in their first meeting even though he was fighting at home in Japan. Jerusalem used his speed and boxing skills to pull off a bit of an upset last year but will be facing a more determined Shigeoka this time around and he knows it. This should be another close, hard-fought contest and I have a feeling that Shigeoka will have learned a lesson from the first contest and should do just enough to regain his title.
Shigeoka has a slight edge in most areas.
Play Shigeoka -180 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Melvin Jerusalem betting • Yudai Shigeoka betting