Jamal James W10 Antonio DeMarco... Former lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco gave welterweight Jamal James all he could handle during a ten-round war that saw James emerge victorious Saturday. In front of a hometown capacity crowd at the Armory in Minneapolis, James prevailed by unanimous decision but faced a serious gut check, undoubtedly due to the endless right hooks to the body that reddened the left side of James. After a good opening round for James (26-1, 12 KOs), the two slugged it out in a thrilling second round that saw both guys buzzed. The crowd jumped to their feet, perhaps encouraging James to remain in a firefight with DeMarco (33-8-1, 24 KOs). DeMarco has lost five of his last seven fights but has been a tough out, even at age 33. Although his days of challenging for a world title are probably well behind him, he's still a viable challenge.

 

When the two were in the center of the ring with any distance, James was the far superior fighter. He was able to punch and then turn DeMarco, forcing him to reset before DeMarco could fire off his own offense. But far too often in the fight, DeMarco was able to get James to trade shots with him in what turned out to be a fringe Fight of the Year candidate.

 

The seventh round stood out as a great round amongst many good ones. The two endlessly traded heavy leather, mixing up shots to the body and head. DeMarco had the edge early in the frame, but James poured it on late.

 

James is also known as being quite a gifted body puncher and did his fair share of punching to the midsection. The two took turns unleashing their offense, though James had the edge in punches thrown and landed. The rounds were hard to score but James did just enough to earn the support of the judges, who scored it 98-92 across the board in his favor.

 

"I knew coming into this fight that he was a former world champion and this would be a big step up," James said afterward. "He kept coming, but I did too. I just had to bite down and do what I know how to do. DeMarco definitely came to fight."

 

It was a solid win for James as he continues to bide his time while he hopes for a title shot in the crowded welterweight division. He has a sizable following, which is more than a lot of guys at 147 pounds can really claim. James is highly ranked in most of the major sanctioning bodies and could have his number dialed at any moment.

 

"I'm ready for the title fight, who's going to give me the shot?" James asked. "I'm ready for anyone. My time is now." source: pbc