On Friday, April 13, 2018, Welterweight contender Jamal James (23-1, 10 KOs) got the opportunity to fight in front of his hometown crowd at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
James took on battle-tested contender, Abel Ramos (18-3-2, 13 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round Welterweight bout. James vs. Ramos headlined a big night of action on Premier Boxing Champions on FS1.
Friday night marked the first time James was fighting in Minneapolis in four years as he looked to continue his ascension back up the ranks following a loss to Yordenis Ugas in August of 2016.
James got off to a quick start against Ramos, much to the delight of the partisan crowd which rained down chants of “Shango.” But Ramos showed early on that he was not simply in the ring to fold early and collect a paycheck.
As has been the case throughout his career, Ramos–who was fought the likes of Ivan Baranchyk, Regis Prograis and Maurice Hooker–took some big shots from his opponent, only to come back and stagger James.
James quickly realized that he could not go for broke every time he seemed to have Ramos in trouble on the ropes. Instead, James paced himself throughout the middle rounds and made things easier for himself when he worked behind his sharp jab.
In Round 7, James unleashed a barrage of power punches on Ramos’ body as the Arizona native spent much of the round backed up against the ropes.
Between Rounds 7 and 8, Ramos’ corner urged their man to take the fight to James who they felt was hurt. Right on cue, Ramos sat in the pocket and began digging shots to James’ body in Round 8.
Although James was bothered by Ramos’ body work, he dug deep and came thundering back with left and right hooks which caught Ramos clean on the chin in an exciting back-and-forth round.
Both James and Ramos let it all hang out in the 10th and final round, finishing up a hard-fought fight that was certainly a crowd pleaser.
In the end, James won a close majority decision over Ramos with scores of 96-94, 96-94 and 95-95. James now hopes to face a bigger name in the talent-rich Welterweight division.
Photo by Brian Schroeder PBC
