Welterweight contender Jamal James has recorded some important victories the past few years, including a decision over Thomas Dulorme that earned him a secondary WBA title in August of last year.
Now he wants to take the next step.
The Minneapolis fighter is scheduled to face Radzhab Butaev on Oct. 30 in Las Vegas (Showtime). He hopes to build on his momentum by turning in an impressive performance against his Russian opponent on national television.
“I’m looking to make a big statement in this fight,” James said. “This will be my first title defense and my first time fighting on Showtime and in Las Vegas. My whole mindset is to come out and show out, so that everyone knows I’m a major player in this division.
“I have to prove to everyone why I deserve the biggest fights.”
He might bet his wish sooner rather than later. The WBA has ordered its 147-pound champion, Yordenis Ugas, to defend against No. 1-ranked Eimantas Stanionis. The winners of the James-Butaev and Ugas-Stanionis fights would then face one another.
James (27-1, 12 KOs) in 2016 lost a decision to Ugas, who outpointed Manny Pacquiao in August. He has won seven consecutive fights since.
“I’d like the rematch with Ugas coming off his big win against Pacquiao,” James said. “He’s fought the top guys, and I’ve fought him before, but it was under less-than-ideal circumstances. I’d like to see what a fight between us would look like after both of us have had a full camp.
“I haven’t been able to get anyone like Errol Spence Jr., Danny Garcia or Shawn Porter yet, and those are the biggest fights in the division. I’d love to face one of those guys that are already considered the best at welterweight so that I can really prove myself.”
Of course, he must get past Butaev (13-0, 10 KOs) first. The Brooklyn-based fighter reportedly had 400 amateur fights, which gives him a solid technical foundation.
Butaev lost a unanimous decision to countryman Alexander Besputin in November 2019 but the result was later ruled a no-contest after Besputin tested positive for a banned substance.
James has known since Butaev stopped Terry Chatwood last December that he would probably face the Russian next.
“We’ve known that Butaev is the opponent for a while, so we’ve been training for a long time and I’ve been in great shape all camp,” James said. “We’re just working on our different tools and perfecting them for the fight ahead.
“We know that everyone is coming for us since I have the title now, so I’m just doing whatever I have to do so that I’m ready on October 30.”