Jerusalem vs Kuse II

When is Jerusalem vs Kuse II?

Melvin Jerusalem is set to fight Siyakholwa Kuse on Saturday, May 16th, 2026, at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg.

The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds in the Minimumweight division, which means the weight limit will be 105 pounds (7.5 stone or 47.6 kg).

This contest is for the WBC minimumweight championship of the world.

Jerusalem will be making his 4th defense of the WBC World Minimumweight Championship. He won this belt against Yudai Shigeoka in March 2024. He had held this belt for 1 year, 11 months and 21 days.

Jerusalem vs Kuse II stats

Melvin Jerusalem steps into the ring with a record of 25 wins, 3 losses, and 0 draws, 12 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Siyakholwa Kuse will make his way to the ring with a record of 9 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw, with 4 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggest Jerusalem has a slight advantage in power over Kuse, with a 48% knockout percentage compared to Kuse's 44%.

Melvin Jerusalem is the older man by 10 years, at 32 years old.

Kuse has a height advantage of 1 inch over Jerusalem.

Both Melvin Jerusalem and Siyakholwa Kuse fight out of an orthodox stance.

Jerusalem is the more experienced professional fighter, having had 15 more fights, and made his debut in 2014, 3 years and 9 months earlier than Kuse, whose first professional fight was in 2018. He has fought 81 more professional rounds, totaling 188 compared to Kuse's 107.

Melvin Jerusalem goes into the fight ranked number 1 by The Ring at minimumweight.

Siyakholwa Kuse is currently ranked number 2 by the WBC, and 4 by The Ring in the 105lb division.

Jerusalem vs Kuse II form

Melvin Jerusalem has beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight, he defeated Siyakholwa Kuse on October 29, 2025, by unanimous decision in their WBC World Minimumweight championship fight at Smart Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Philippines.

Prior to that, he had defeated Yudai Shigeoka on March 30, 2025, by unanimous decision in their WBC World Minimumweight championship fight at Aichi Sky Expo, Tokoname, Japan.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Luis Angel Castillo on September 22, 2024, by unanimous decision in their WBC World Minimumweight championship fight at Mandaluyong City College Gymnasium, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Before that, he had won against Yudai Shigeoka on March 31, 2024, by split decision in their WBC World Minimumweight championship fight at International Conference Hall, Nagoya, Japan.

He had been beaten by Oscar Collazo on May 27, 2023, by split decision in the 7th round in their WBO World Minimumweight championship fight at Fantasy Springs Casino, Indio, United States.

Activity check

Jerusalem's last 5 fights have come over a period of 2 years, 11 months and 19 days, which means he has been fighting approximately every 7 months and 5 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 55 rounds, meaning that they have lasted 11 rounds on average.

What time does Jerusalem vs Kuse II start?

The fighters are expected to ringwalk at around 8:00 PM UTC at Emperors Palace, Johannesburg, South Africa, which is 4:00 PM EST or 1:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America, or 9:00 PM BST in the UK.

What are the odds on Jerusalem vs Kuse II?

Sorry, we couldn’t find any odds for Jerusalem vs Kuse II yet. If odds are not available initially after the fight is announced, bookmakers usually release them closer to the day of the fight.