Melo finds place in ring
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Miguel Melo never quite found his place in the sporting landscape until he settled on the ring.
Now he’s home.
The 16-year-old Brandonite will be fighting Bohdan Solyhan in the Fall Brawl boxing event at the Brandon Fitness Combat Academy next Saturday.
Miguel Melo, 16, will be fighting in the Fall Brawl boxing event at the Brandon Fitness Combat Academy next Saturday. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun)
Oct. 17, 2025
“I saw a lot of people I knew playing other sports and achieving a lot of things in their sports,” Melo said. “I just wanted to achieve something of my own and landed on boxing. I find it really fun.”
Melo didn’t have much of a sports background before that, and was never into sports like hockey and baseball.
He is now at the gym three days a week but also trains on his own by running and lifting weights.
“I just love learning about it,” Melo said. “There are so many nitty-gritty details about it and new things to learn all the time. You’re just constantly improving. It might be the same few skills but you’re constantly improving them all the time. I find that really fascinating.”
But that doesn’t mean it’s been a linear progression for him. He said there have been ups and down during his journey in the sport, which make maintaining this focus very important.
“It happens all the time,” Melo said. “You have a bad sparring session and you feel out of it in training, but the more you keep training and keep at it and stay consistent, you can definitely improve a lot.”
He is fighting at 145 pounds. He’s had three previous fights and one exhibition, with a record of 1-2.
While it’s a physical sport, he said the mental part is extremely important too.
“That’s a big part of it,” Melo said. “It’s pretty nerve-racking getting into the ring. Every time it is, even if you’ve been there 100 times already, it’s nerve-racking. I just try to relax and trust in my skills that I’ve benefited from training and sharpening in the gym. Really, just staying relaxed. If you’re not relaxed, you can’t put your skills to use.”
Melo doesn’t know anything about his opponent, but is eager to get started. After all, he’s finally his sport.
“I’m excited,” Melo said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in the ring. I’ve been on and off lately with other things outside of boxing but I’m excited to get back in the ring. I want to take it somewhere this time. Nationals and provincials are coming up and all that stuff.”
» Profiles of three more Westman fighters on the card will appear in The Brandon Sun next week.
» pbergson@brandonsun.com