Jake’s letting his fists - not social media - do all the talking

Jake Melvin…back in action on British title undercard in Birmingham

SLOWLY, but surely, Jake Melvin is closely the gap on those above him in the welterweight divisions.

Unlike some of today’s fighters, there are no grand – even, let’s be honest, ludicrous – boasts about what the future holds from the Birmingham welter or those building his career, dad Malcolm and Darren Hunter.

No ballyhoo on social media, no outlandish claims to future fame.

They assess progress after each contest. To date, it’s been pleasing progress, with four straight wins.

Jake, now in six round class, goes for his fifth on the undercard of Ijaz Ahmed’s British super-flyweight battle at Birmingham’s Eastside Rooms on October 20.

He has, to date, ticked all the boxes, but there are many more boxes to be ticked before anyone places the word “contender” next to Jake’s name.

The “softly, softly” approach is sensible and working. Jake, whose father was a top pro, is improving and heading in the right direction.

For a fighter who took a break from boxing aged 15 and, after four years away, plunged straight into the professional sport, all you want is steady steps forward. The leaps come later.

Those leaps may come in the light-middleweight division. The 21-year-old is still filling out and, watching his last fight, I was surprised by his height. Jake’s a tall welter.

“He’s getting better and improving all the time, that’s a fact,” said Malcolm. “You put the effort in, you get the results and Jake works hard, he trains like a demon.

“Slowly, but surely, he’s making up the ground. I’m really happy. He’s aggressive, has a lot of bottle and we’ve calmed him down. He’s enjoying it, which is the main thing. He loves the training, he loves the fighting and wants to do well. Another two or three fights and we’ll see where we’re at.”

Jake has yet to register a stoppage, but his father stressed: “He’s naturally strong, the power is there. He has to learn to relax a bit, he tends to tense-up and that’s something we’ve been working on. He’s a little tight in some areas. When you’re fighting certain journeymen it’s very hard because they are in defensive mode.

“It’s too early to say what Jake will achieve. It’s an old cliché, but he is a work in progress. He is closing the gap all the time. If you look at what he was 12 months ago and what he is now, it’s a totally different fighter.

“A year or so ago we were wondering, are we doing the right thing? Now we know we’re doing the right thing.”

The comparisons with Melvin Snr are inevitable. “It’s unfair,” Malcolm said, “because we had different backgrounds.”

He added: “Jake’s not one of those blaggers, he doesn’t come out with all the cliches on social media, he doesn’t publicise himself that well. What he is is a genuine, nice lad who wants to do well.”

He’s also a young, unbeaten boxer who isn’t claiming to be a future British champion. From my experience, that’s becoming a rarity.