Boxing brothers Yudai and Ginjero Shigeoka are set to defend their respective World minimum weight titles on March 31 in Nagoya against Filipino challengers. WBC champion Yudai Shigeoka is destined to fight former WBO champion Melvin Jerusalem, and his brother, IBF champion Ginjiro will face Ar-Ar Andal at the Congress Center in central Japan City. Yudai has a personal grudge against Melvin Jerusalem as he defeated Masataka Taniguchi in January 2023 and took the WBO Minimumweight title from him. Masataka Taniguchi belongs to the same gym as the Shigeoka brothers so they share a special bond.
Yudai Shigeoka seems unbothered before his fight against Jerusalem
Yudai seemed pretty confident when he highlighted his plans for the fight. “I’ll win by knockout,” Yudai said of his fight against Jerusalem. “I remember his win over Taniguchi-san. I can’t let him go unchecked.”
Jerusalem will also have a point to prove as he will be looking to get his hands back on the title. Jerusalem first came into the limelight when he defeated Masataka Taniguchi and took the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title from him roughly a year ago. Jerusalem’s joy was short-lived as he was dethroned in just five months by Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo in Indio, California.
Can Melvin Jerusalem break Yudai’s win streak?
Jerusalem is preparing for his fight against Yudai in Japan under the guidance of Michael Domingo, with 21 wins, 12 knockouts and only 3 defeats the 29-year-old will definitely be a tough challenger for Yudai.
Yudai Shigeoka is also on a dream run as he is unbeaten in eight consecutive fights with 5 fights ending in knockouts. He is high on confidence which is normal for any fighter with this kind of win streak but Yudai Shigeoka can not make the mistake of underestimating Jerusalem as we know from previous incidents that Jerusalem likes to pull off upsets.
Ginjero Shigeoka will also be looking forward to defending his IBF Mini flyweight title which he is successfully holding on to from October 2023.
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