Melvin Jerusalem did not disappoint in front of his roaring Filipino fans, beating erstwhile unbeaten Mexican Luis Castillo via unanimous decision to retain his WBC minimumweight crown at the jam-packed Mandaluyong City College Gymnasium Sunday evening, Sept. 22.

The 30-year-old Jerusalem displayed his speed and power which was highlighted by his 1-2 combo that put Castillo down the canvas in the first round – enough to dictate the tempo throughout their 12-round bout and convincingly win the the judges' scorecard at 118-109, 120-107, and 120-107.

With his successful title defense, the pride of Bukidnon got his 23rd victory against three defeats while Castillo, a Sinaloa native, suffered his first loss for a 21-1-1 professional record.

This also marked the second time a WBC belt was defended on Philippine soil – the previous one was when Manny Pacquiao kept his flyweight title via a knockout win over Mexican Gabriel Mira at the Araneta Coliseum in 1999.