No pain, no gain for newcomer Melvin

Jake Melvin…chasing a hat-trick of wins as a pro newcomer

JAKE Melvin broke through the pain barrier to make his pro debut and now targets a hat-trick of pro victories to kick off 2023 for him.

He’s set to appear at the Eastside Rooms, Woodcock Street, Birmingham when BCB Promotions are back there on the Saturday night, February 25

Melvin, who grew up in Kings Heath, but now living in Stourbridge, turned over in April of last year, despite unknowingly going into battle with a broken wrist.

The 21-year-old welterweight outpointed Pete Aleksandrov, without losing any of the four rounds, although his Bulgarian adversary did pinch a share of a session, along the way.

He had spent five years out of the ring before becoming a pro, after amassing an amateur record of 12 wins from 16 bouts, representing the Hall Green and Second City boxing clubs.

The second- generation fighter is the son of ex-pro Malcolm Melvin, who clocked up 39 fights and was a former Midlands champion, also challenging for the British title at two weights.

Melvin Jnr moved to 2-0 in December after nearly six months on the sidelines as his wrist healed. He scored another points success,  a 40-36 points whitewash, over Naeem Ali.

He said: “I had a  lot of problems with my wrist, I broke two bones in it.

‘’I did it in sparring, then I tried to go on the punch-bag and it really started to hurt. That was before my debut, but I carried on anyway.

‘’I didn’t feel it in the fight, because of the adrenalin, but I had to get my wrist sorted after. I thought I’d done my ligaments, so I went to see a physio.

‘’He pressed down on my hand and there was a lot of pain there, so it was just a case of rest and recovery. I carried on training, even with just my left hand!

‘’The second training camp went a lot better, I was a lot fitter and I felt way more confident, after the nerves on my debut. That reflected in my performance.

‘’ My last opponent was a survivor, with his hands held high and his guard tight, so I went to the body and tried to wear him down, but he was a tough man.

‘’I used my left hand, too! I love a left hook and uppercut. I’m definitely good with both hands. I just want to keep on it and continue improving, but I’d love a stoppage.’’