MEET JAY VAN GELDER

ATHLETE PROFILE: JAY VAN GELDER - BOXER

 

JAY'S SPORTING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

 

JAY IS 2X NATIONAL AMATEUR BOXING CHAMPION

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JAY VAN GELDER WON HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL FIGHT ON THE 31ST MAY 2025, WITH A CONVINCING DEBUT WIN. THE BOXER IS FROM REDDITCH, WORCESTERSHIRE, IS OF ENGLISH DESCENT AND GETS HIS DUTCH SURNAME FROM A RELATIVE. 

 

JAYS STORY​

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JAY’S LOVE FOR BOXING STARTED EARLY. HE WAS ONLY SEVEN WHEN HE FIRST TRIED THE SPORT, AND HE’S BEEN HOOKED ON BOXING EVER SINCE. TRAINED INITIALLY BY STUDIO ABC’S GARY BLOWER, JAY OVERCAME MOMENTS OF SELF-DOUBT AND CAME THROUGH TO BUILD A STRONG AMATEUR FOUNDATION. HE’S QUICK TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SUPPORT OF THOSE WHO HAVE STOOD BY HIM. HE’S READY TO MAKE HIS MARK IN THE PROFESSIONAL SCENE.

 

JAY IS KNOWN FOR HIS HEAVY HANDS, A STYLE THAT HAS ALREADY EARNED HIM A REPUTATION IN THE MIDLANDS BOXING CIRCUIT. BUT IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT KNOCKOUT POWER, JAY WANTS TO BREAK FIGHTERS DOWN, TO WORK THEM OUT, TO FIGHT WITH INTELLIGENCE. HE’S IN THIS TO DO DAMAGE NOT TO RACE THROUGH ROUNDS, BUT TO IMPOSE HIMSELF IN THE RING.

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JAY'S PROFESSIONAL DEBUT WAS A SHUTOUT WIN

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ON 31ST MAY 2025, JAY VAN-GELDER MADE HIS LONG-AWAITED PROFESSIONAL DEBUT AT THE EASTSIDE ROOMS IN BIRMINGHAM. UNDER HIS NEW RING NAME, “THE TRUTH,” JAY PRODUCED A DOMINANT PERFORMANCE THAT BACKED UP EVERY BIT OF HYPE THAT’S BEEN BUILDING AROUND HIM.

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HE FOUGHT SEASONED VETERAN STEPHEN JACKSON, WHO IS A TOUGH MANCHESTER FIGHTER WITH OVER 60 BOUTS TO HIS NAME, JAY SECURED A SHUTOUT FOUR-ROUND POINTS VICTORY.

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LOOKING AHEAD, ONE FIGHT AT A TIME

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JAY ISN’T GETTING CARRIED AWAY, BUT HE’S CLEAR ABOUT WHERE HE’S HEADED.

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“TITLES? ONE HUNDRED PER CENT. A BIG ORGANISATION? ONE HUNDRED PER CENT,” HE SAID. “BUT I’M TAKING IT ONE FIGHT AT A TIME.”

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HE’S ALREADY BACK IN TRAINING, HUNGRY FOR HIS NEXT FIGHT, AND WE AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE ARE RIGHT BEHIND HIM.

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ATHENA’S ROLE IN HIS DEVELOPMENT
 

"BEFORE WORKING WITH ATHENA, STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING WAS SOMETHING I HAD OVERLOOKED DURING MY AMATEUR CAREER. SINCE STARTING WITH RICHARD BENNETT IN JANUARY 2025, I’VE SEEN A MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT IN MY OVERALL STRENGTH, SPEED, AND REACTION TIME. ATHENA’S TRAINING HAS PUSHED MY PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE TO ANOTHER LEVEL- I FEEL SHARPER, MORE POWERFUL, AND BETTER PREPARED FOR EVERY CHALLENGE IN THE RING. IT’S BEEN A GAME CHANGER IN MY PREPARATION FOR TURNING PROFESSIONAL. "
JAY VAN GELDER

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JAY’S COMMITMENT TO TRAINING AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE SHOWS THROUGH IN EVERY SESSION. FROM EARLY MORNINGS TO EVENING BOXING DRILLS, HE HAS SHOWN THE KIND OF MENTALITY THAT INSPIRES OTHERS AROUND HIM. WHETHER IT’S TEEN BOXERS JUST STARTING OUT OR OUR LOCAL ADULT GYM MEMBERS WATCHING HIS DEDICATION FIRST-HAND.

 

WORKING CLOSELY WITH OUR COACHING TEAM AND OUR 1-TO-1 BOXING COACH, JAY HAS CONTINUED TO SHARPEN HIS STRENGTH, CONDITIONING, AND COMBAT READINESS IN OUR REDDITCH GYM. HIS TRANSITION TO THE PRO LEVEL HAS BEEN SUPPORTED BY A RIGOROUS, STRUCTURED PROGRAMME THAT COMBINES COACHED BOXING, FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH WORK, AND HIGH-INTENSITY CONDITIONING.

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PROFESSIONAL RECORD (SO FAR): 1-0-0

NICKNAME: "THE TRUTH"

INSTAGRAM: @JAYVANGELDERR

TIKTOK: JAYVANGELDER

FACEBOOK: FACEBOOK.COM/JAY.VANGELDER.9/