By ADEM SARICAOGLU
THE Ellis name already carried an enormous weight within the storied history of boxing in Melbourne’s West.
Lester Ellis was the talk of the town throughout his illustrious career in the 1980s and 90s after he was crowned world champion in 1985 at just 19 years of age.
And now, nearly three decades on, son Jake is proudly carrying the legacy of the Ellis name both inside the ring and out.
At just 21, Jake has already scored two knockout wins in his professional career and looks destined for big things in the future, but it’s his commitment to promoting the game is really turning heads, not only in the wider boxing scene, but also in his own household.
His father’s rise to prominence, one of the great rags-to-riches tales of Australian sport, was driven by desperation to be the best when everything was on the line.
He had to fight for his survival, knowing he had little to fall back on, and looking back on what he was able to deliver in the ring, he, like many others, thought that was the mentality required for success in such a demanding trade.
That was until Jake, a highly intelligent boxing mind with a killer instinct to match, proved him wrong.
“It has to mean something,” Lester said.
“If you have nothing to fall back on, the (grunt) comes out in you and you think ‘if I don’t beat that bloke, I’m back on the dole.
“But if you’ve got something to fall back on, you’re thinking if something goes wrong, you can do this or do that and you might only perform half-heartedly – but he’s proved us wrong because he wants to kill someone in the ring.”
Currently, putting together his fourth show, Jake is hell-bent on challenging the status quo and is so far proving professional boxers can be good at promoting, too.
Jake is well-aware of the weight his name carries in the game he’s in, and admits to facing a number of hurdles as a result, but when he gets in the ring, channelling that animal inside seems to come naturally.
“The proof’s in the pudding,” Jake said.
“I know when I fight, nothing else matters.
“I don’t (care) that I’m promoting or losing money or making a lot of money – it doesn’t matter.
“I know I’m representing my family when I’m in there, I know I’m representing myself and I know I’ll do my very best I can do and that’s it, that’s the bottom line.
“I don’t care if my nose gets broken or my eye socket gets broken – I’m going to win that fight first and foremost before anything.”
As proud as she is of her son’s exploits, Jake’s mother, Sharon, believes returning boxing to the forefront of Australian sport is the true legacy she hopes her family can deliver.
“We have a lot of people like Lester with that kind of (disadvantaged) background in the western suburbs,” Sharon said.
“If we can just embrace boxing a bit more and understand that it gives you an opportunity – that’s what I’m hoping for.
“And along the way, it’s people like Jake and Lester and their profile that I’m hoping will help us get there a little quicker.”
The upcoming promotion, Once Upon A Time In Sunshine, will take place at the Italia Club in Sunshine on 30 August.
