Melvin Jerusalem surrendered the World Boxing Organization minimumweight crown to Puerto Rican Oscar Collazo Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) when he quit on his stool just before the bell for the eighth round in Indio, California.
Fighting for the first time on American soil and arriving there just ten days ago, Jerusalem took a beating from rounds four up to seven, taking head and body shots from the ultra-aggressive Collazo.
Jerusalem was more exhausted than seriously hurt and his late arrival could have left him already feeling tired as early as the third canto.
He was making the first defense of the WBO 105-lb title that he won in Osaka by knocking out Masataka Taniguchi in two rounds.
His devastating defeat left the Philippines with just one reigning world champion in Marlon Tapales, who holds the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation super-bantamweight belts.
