After settling old business with Yudai Shigeoka, Melvin Jerusalem has another score he’s hoping to settle.

The Filipino road warrior retained his WBC strawweight title on Sunday with a unanimous decision over Shigeoka, making it look much easier the second time around after a razor-thin split decision in their first fight last March.

“I was just adjusting to the fight, so I lost in the first round because I was observing what he would do,” said Jerusalem, 24-3 (12 KOs), of Manolo Fortich, Philippines. “But from 2 to 12, I felt like I won all the rounds.

“I have proven to everyone that my victory in our first match was not just a fluke and I will never just give up my belt because it is my dream belt. I will work hard to keep my belt for a long time.”

With his promotional option to Kameda Boxing now settled, Jerusalem is hoping he can get a shot at avenging his 2023 defeat to Oscar Collazo, the unbeaten Puerto Rican who stopped him in seven rounds to lift the WBO 105lbs title. Collazo, 12-0 (9 KOs), of Villalba, Puerto Rico, was in action the night before the Jerusalem-Shigeoka rematch, knocking out the overmatched Edwin Cano in five rounds in Mexico to make his fifth successful title defense.

Collazo seemed to have the same idea as Jerusalem, tweeting out a challenge for a unification rematch: “Bring me Jerusalem … it's now a matter of time.”

Jerusalem says he saw the social media post and was on the same page as his former opponent about what should come next.

“I want to rematch with Collazo and I will do all my best to win our rematch,” said Jerusalem, who has now won four straight since the loss to Collazo.

“I am ready for that fight to happen.”

Promoter Jim Claude Manangquil, who guides Collazo’s career alongside manager Nobuyuki Matsuura, said that making the Collazo rematch will be their focus, but he added that nothing has yet been discussed between the two sides.

“Melvin wants to avenge his defeat against Collazo,” said Manangquil. “There is no talk yet, but that’s the fight both fighters want.”

A call and message to Collazo’s manager/trainer Juan De Leon seeking comment was not returned by the time of this story’s publication.

Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.