Melvin given a scare but scores third win

Jake Mevin…another day, another lesson for the pro apprentice

JAKE Melvin passed another test in his pro apprenticeship at Birmingham’s Eastside Rooms on Saturday.

He showed he has the grit needed to climb professional boxing’s precarious ladder.

The popular Birmingham welter – 21-year-old son of former British title contender Malcolm Melvin, who acts as his trainer – had to climb off the canvas to outpoint Berman Sanchez. Chris Dean, scoring from outside the ring, had it 38-37 after four rounds.

Burman, a Nicaraguan based in Spain, represented a very decent – even demanding – test for Melvin.

Yes, after 71 bouts (won 30, drawn four) and now 39-years-old, he’s seen better days. But Sanchez has power, as the 22 stoppage on his record show.

And Melvin was having only his third contest after over five years away from the game. He turned pro with no senior amateur experience. He is a work in progress.

In the second, the veteran caught Jake on the bell as the youngster prepared to throw a left hook to the body.

Melvin – who had dominated the session before the drama – was up immediately and banged his gloves together in a show of frustration.

That was judged a 10-8 round for Sanchez, which begs the question: Does a single knockdown automatically entitle the boxer throwing the punch to two point success in a session?

The rule book says no. In Melvin’s case, he had controlled the action for almost the entirety of the second round and was not driven round the ring after climbing to his feet.

That’s 10-9 in my book.

Dad Malcolm was satisfied with the night’s work.

He said: “People in the game know Sanchez is dangerous, I know some people in the game who didn’t take him. It was a risky fight. I’m not saying your man is great, but he’s dangerous. He can bang, he gets a lot of power in his shots.

“Jake got caught with a good shot, jumped up immediately and was more annoyed with himself. He was so angry, we had to calm him down in the corner. Listen, he slipped up for a second. It happens – I was put down in sparring.

“I look at the bigger picture. It’s about learning for Jake and it was a great learning fight. We don’t look further than the next fight because it’s about learning and that was an important lesson – he didn’t drop his hands again.

 “I thought Jake handled him well, I really thought he boxed well. We were very happy.

 “Jake could’ve played it ultra-cautious, peppered him with shots, but he likes to let his hands go. His jab was superb, his body shots were good.”