Melvin wants British title after body shot victory over Cheema

Scott Melvin….avenged only loss on his record. Picture: MVP

SCOTT Melvin, Chelmsley Wood’s talented lightweight, wants a British title fight after avenging the only loss on his record.

On MVP’s big televised bill at BP Pulse Live Arena, the “Terrier” did what he’d predicted – dismantle Dylan Cheema.

That emphatic sixth round victory scrubbed away the only stain on “The Terrier’s” 14 bout CV. Back in 2022, Melvin dropped a close three round decision to Cheema in a Boxxer tournament the Coventry novice went on to win.

This time, over a scheduled eight round distance, Melvin put to bed arguments over who is the better man.

Cheema, badly gashed on the bridge of the nose, was brave, but outgunned. Melvin dissected him with surgical precision before ending matters in the sixth. Dylan was dropped for eight by a right to the body and after wilting from the same shot, the referee stepped in. Time:  two minutes 33 seconds.

In an era of hyped fake feuds, this was a genuine grudge match and even after the dust had settled, there were few signs of respect.

Cheema, who lost for the fourth time in 15, said: “There was genuine bad blood between ourselves. I don’t hate anybody – dislike is definitely the right word. Since I beat him in the Boxxer tournament, he’s been running his mouth off, he’s been chasing the fight for a number of years. I didn’t see the value of facing him back then.”

“It was different levels, I always knew that,” Melvin said matter-of-factly. “He is a tough man, but I couldn’t really miss him. I was just picking him apart, I didn’t need to rush, I broke him.

“I knew I was levels above him, you just have to do it on the night.”

Melvin, part of East Side gym, is now eyeing bigger things. “I want a British title, I want to be signed (by a major promoter,)” he said, “and pushed.”

He certainly enjoys the razzmatazz of major, televised shows, adding: “I love it, the bigger the better, the more eyes on me the better.”

Manager Jon Pegg shares the same goals as Melvin. “British title fight or Commonwealth or English to keep us going,” he said. “People don’t realise how tough Scott is. He’ll keep punching to get the win in the last round – a lot don’t have that in their locker.”

Pegg said Cheema had been “outboxed, out-fought and out-punched”.

While Melvin is now dreaming big, 30-year-old Dylan is left to think hard about the future following two straight losses. In April, he was outpointed by Kirk Stevens in a hard 10 rounder for the Midlands super-lightweight belt.

He doesn’t need to box – Cheema and his family are successful business people. He does it because he loves the game.

“Two losses back to back doesn’t put me in a good position,” he admitted, “but there have been fighters who have bounced back from bigger setbacks. Look, things can happen, things can change, it’s a very fickle sport.

“I’m going to have some time with my family, I’ve had back-to-back camps. Have a few weeks off – rest, recovery,” Then Cheema will assess the situation.

Dylan Cheema….pondering his future after back-to-back losses

Dylan says that he only discovered a title would not be at stake in the very week of the Melvin fight: “There had to be something on the line that would deliver progression for the winner.” And, contrary to reports, he did make weight – the bout was announced as a super-lightweight contest.

Of the bout itself, he added: “I put blood, sweat and tears into the training camp, we did everything we could to get me in the right position for the fight. That’s how much it meant to me.

“It was a good fight while it lasted, there was needle between us both that added to the drama. I thought I was going well, then got caught by a good body shot.”