World Boxing Council minimumweight champion Yudai Shigeoka of Watanabe Boxing Gym showed a fine form in his public sparring at the gym in Tokyo on March 19 in preparation for his second defense of the title against former World Boxing Organization minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem of the Philippines on March 31 in Nagoya.

  The left-handed Shigeoka went three rounds of sparring and two rounds of mass boxing with Philippine partners while having four rounds of punching-bag hitting during the day’s training.

  The 26-year-old Shigeoka, who was known for his rough-cutting style boxing, said, ‘’I tried to smoothen that aspect of me a little bit during the training. But I will not change my aggressive style of boxing. I think I can show a fine boxing.’’

  ‘’I hope my fans can enjoy my changed boxing style,’’ Shigeoka added.

  He has so far done nearly 130 rounds of sparring with such world-ranked Philippine boxers as Jason Vayson (WBO Asia-Pacific light flyweight champion) and John Michael Suelta.

  According to Koki Kameda, head of the Kameda Promotions Co. who was present at the gym, said the Shigeoka-Jerusalem fight will serve as the main event of the March 31 ‘’3150FIGHT vol.8’’ at Nagoya International Exhibition Hall.

  This is because the International Boxing Federation’s fifth-ranked featherweight Tomoki Kameda of TMK GYM’s planned rematch with second-ranked Lerato Dlamini of South Africa　was called off. The fight had initially been regarded as the main event of the 3150FIGHT.

Tomoki Kameda will have a fight instead with WBC’s youth silver super bantamweight champion Kevin Villanueva of Mexico in the extravaganza.

  Shigeoka is undefeated in his eight bouts, five by knockouts, while the 30-year-old Jerusalem, currently ranked sixth in the division, has a 21-3 win-loss tally with 12 KOs.