GONNA BE A THRILLA
The stoic Melvin Jerusalem was in his element on Tuesday, seemingly unfazed by the magnitude of the moment riding on his 105-pound frame.
Jerusalem headlines the 13-bout “Thrilla in Manila 2,” a fight card that pays homage to what’s widely regarded as the greatest fight in boxing history that saw the sport’s giants Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier battle in a brutal 14-round slugfest—a fitting final chapter to their storied rivalry.
“I don’t take it as pressure. I’m excited to be part of this history,” said Jerusalem, the pride of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. “This is the 50th anniversary of Thrilla in Manila, and I can’t wait to put on a good performance and give a good fight in front of the home crowd.”
“I’m 101 percent confident heading into the fight.”
The 31-year-old Jerusalem (24-2, 12KOs) risks his WBC minimumweight title against South Africa’s Siyakholwa Kuse at the Araneta Coliseum, where Frazier’s trainer Eddie Futch had seen enough and asked Filipino referee Carlos Padilla Jr. to stop the fight at the end of the 14th round.
“If you want to be a champion, you must beat the champion,” said Kuse (9-2-1, 4KOs), who is fighting on foreign soil for the first time.
Jerusalem, who is riding a four-fight streak coming off a repeat over Japan’s Yudai Shigeoka last March, is among the bevy of Filipino boxing stars in the show.
In a special attraction, unbeaten middleweight prospect Eumir Marcial goes toe-to-toe with Venezuelan knockout artist Eddy Colmenares for the vacant WBC International Championship.
The heavy-hitting Marcial faces an acid test against Colmenares, who is 11-2 with all of his victories coming by knockout.
Marlon Tapales, the former unified super bantamweight champion, hopes to continue his resurgence against Venezuela’s Fernando Toro (11-2, 9KOs). Tapales has strung up three consecutive convincing wins since his knockout loss to Naoya Inoue in December 2023.
Manny Pacquiao, who made the move to stage the Thrilla’s 50th anniversary in Manila, will be in attendance for the event, which begins at 1:00 p.m.
His son, Eman Bacosa, is also part of the undercard with the rising super featherweight taking on Bohol’s Nico Salado.
The 21-year-old Bacosa, who started boxing at 10 years old, has unenviably big shoes to fill.
“I’m just focused on myself and my fight. I’m not taking my opponent for granted,” a beaming Bacosa said in Filipino.
