Melvin Jerusalem will defend his WBC strawweight title against Siyakholwa Kuse on a bill staged by Manny Pacquiao Promotions, in partnership with IBA Pro, at the historic Araneta Coliseum on October 29 in Metro Manila, Philippines. The event, also set to feature Nico Ali Walsh in a six-rounder, will be entitled ‘Thrilla in Manila 2’ to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Muhammad Ali’s titanic rubber match with Joe Frazier.
The 31-year-old Jerusalem, 24-3 (12 KOs), will make the third defense of the title he won last year when he outpointed Yudai Shigeoka, a result he repeated in March. Another points success, over Luis Castillo, was sandwiched between for Philippines’ Jerusalem, who is a former WBO beltholder at 105lbs. The 22-year-old Kuse, from South Africa, has amassed a 9-2-1 (4 KOs) record and his challenge to Jerusalem was first reported by BoxingScene in August.
Up at middleweight, unbeaten Filipino Eumir Marcial, 6-0 (4 KOs), was set to scrap Venezuela’s Eddy Colmenares, 11-2 (11 KOs), in a 10-rounder for the WBC international strap but will now compete over six.
At junior featherweight, Las Vegas-based Carl Martin, a southpaw, returns to his native Philippines with high hopes to extend his 26-0 (20 KOs) unbeaten record against Thailand’s Aran Dipaen, 21-4 (18 KOs).
Also on the bill is former two-weight beltholder Marlon Tapales who has won three in a row since losing in 10 rounds to Naoya Inoue at the end of 2023. Tapales, 40-4 (21 KOs), fights Venezuela’s Fernando Toro in a 10-rounder.
In a catchy quote on the press release, Pacquiao states: “The Thrilla in Manila lit a fire in my heart as a kid, pushing me to dream big. Bringing Thrilla in Manila 2 to Manila with IBA Pro is my way of passing that fire to the next generation. On October 29, we’re making history again, and the world will feel the heat of Filipino pride.”
