NAGOYA (Kyodo News) – Japan's Yudai Shigeoka surrendered the WBC minimumweight title to Filipino challenger Melvin Jerusalem on Sunday in a split decision upset.
His younger brother, Ginjiro Shigeoka, defended his IBF minimumweight title by defeating Jake Amparo of the Philippines by second-round knockout in a world championship doubleheader held at the Nagoya International Convention Center.
Jerusalem, a former WBO champion, was knocked down in the third and sixth rounds and finished ahead on two of the three judges' scorecards after 12 rounds.
After falling behind early on, the 26-year-old Yudai returned to the fight with some solid combinations, but was unable to get sixth-place challenger Jerusalem on the canvas.
The Japanese southpaw currently has a record of 8 wins and 1 loss, including 5 wins by KO, while Jerusalem improved his record to 22 wins and 3 losses with 12 KOs.
24-year-old Jinro Gin (11-0, 9 KOs) defended his title for the second time by knocking out Amparo (14-6, 3 KOs) with a body shot. Amparo was an impromptu replacement after his countryman Al Al Andares withdrew. Match for medical reasons.
The young Shigeoka ended the match at 1:15 of the second inning with a left-handed shot to the middle of the sixth-place challenger.
“I didn't expect to get knocked out by a body shot,” he said. “I was relieved. I could feel how dangerous he was as an opponent.”
Kazuyuki Kameda (41 wins, 4 losses, 23 KOs), the last of the three Kameda brothers who fought on the same card, is fighting against Mexico's Kevin Villanueva (41 wins, 4 losses, 23 KOs), the last of the three Kameda brothers still active in the ring. (22 wins, 5 losses, 15 KOs) in a non-title match. Corner threw in the towel between the fifth and sixth rounds.
