Melvin: six rounder for exciting new pro

Jake Melvin…fights in front of home fans on June 17

JAKE Melvin – the young fighter with a big following – chases his fourth straight pro win at Birmingham’s Eastside Rooms on June 17.

More importantly, the BCB show looks set to be the setting for Jake’s first six rounder. We’ll know a lot more about the 21-year-old welter’s fighting DNA as the distances increase.

I’m loathed, at this early stage, to make predictions about Jake’s future. All pro boxers learn on the job, Birmingham’s Melvin is learning more than most.

He entered the pro game without senior amateur experience and following an absence from the sport of a number of years.

His father and trainer, Malcolm Melvin – former fine light-welter and welterweight contender – is the first to admit his son is a work in progress.

Jake has been dropped and blazed back. In my book, that’s a positive, not a negative.

We know the lad has heart, we know he likes a tear-up. It’s down to Malcolm to instil the subtleties that make a champion.

Jake is an exciting watch, but there isn’t a place in boxing’s record books for crowd-pleasers. Top titleholders have guile and guts in equal measure.

Dad will be working overtime to produce that blend.

And we know Jake sells a lot of tickets. Let’s be honest, when a fighter begins his journey, that’s the best defence he can ask for.

He’ll make the Eastside Rooms a very noisy place.

In a previous interview, Malcolm said: “It’s very early days, there’s a long road ahead.  He’s a very tough lad and it’s a case of putting it in the right direction.

“Jake’s filling out, he’s only going to get bigger and stronger. He hasn’t got his man-strength yet. If he keeps showing the same commitment and improvement, we’ll have a fighter on our hands. I’d like to see him out four or five times this year, then we’ll have a look and know more about where he’s going. We know he’s getting a lot better.”