Jamal James wins a brutal unanimous decision over Antonio DeMarco

Jamal James fought in front of his hometown crowd in Minneapolis against former titlist Antonio DeMarco. It was a brutal but rewarding night for James.

Jamal James (26-1, 10 KOs) only had one loss coming into his July 13 bout on FS1 with former champion Antonio DeMarco (33-8-1, 24 KOs), but he wasn’t about to drop another one. Especially not in front of his hometown of Minneapolis at The Armory which was filled. He was tested but passed with flying colors.

James set the tone early in round 1, pushing around the smaller DeMarco. James excited the home crowd numerous times as he trapped DeMarco in the corner and beat him to the body with lightning-quick hands.

DeMarco tried to become the aggressor in round 2, but he was met in the middle of the ring by James. They traded in close, which was a mistake for James. It’s hard to tell which punch hurt him because when DeMarco started throwing, he didn’t stop.

The crowd wailed in terror as DeMarco threw an endless amount of punches to James’s body and head. The referee may have thought about stopping the fight, but the Minneapolis fans might have rioted.

DeMarco ran out of gas and James fought back as he was lifted by the cheers of his friends and family, but it wasn’t what anybody planned on seeing.

James amazingly looked recovered in the third. His jab returned, and he often scored on DeMarco. DeMarco probably regretted throwing so many punches in the previous round. It was a miraculous comeback for James considering how lost he looked in the second round.

James scored early in round 4 with a double right cross. He continued to land his right but worked in the uppercut for good measure. DeMarco followed James around the ring, but he couldn’t cut him off as he did in round two. He winged hooks to the body, but James caught most of them on the arms. DeMarco dedicated almost all of his attention to James’s body as if he sensed that past damage lingered.

In the fifth round, James tried to circle DeMarco, but DeMarco was determined to batter his body. James’s movement allowed him to find angles against the flatfooted DeMarco. He used them to slip in uppercuts and follow them with hooks. Through it all, DeMarco pushed forward to land one or two hooks to the body. It was a war but hard to tell who was winning.

James eluded DeMarco for much of round 6. His feet were fast, and he rolled the shoulders well. It was a tame round by this fight’s standards.

DeMarco found James’s body often in round 7. He tried to fight back, but DeMarco was determined to be the busier boxer. James fought back well down the stretch. DeMarco threw sloppy punches, and James viciously countered him. Just like that, James turned the round around.

DeMarco got a rest in round eight when the tape came loose on his glove. The crowd used the time to cheer on James, but DeMarco soldiered ahead with more body punches. James and DeMarco sporadically traded shots until the bell.

The pace dropped in round 9 but surged in the 10th and final round. DeMarco slammed James to the body, but James lunged back at DeMarco and sent him to the canvas. The crowd got excited, but it was a push.

They continued to fight at the center ring where James landed uppercuts with both hands. Then he landed hooks with both hands. James had more fuel in the tank, and he outworked DeMarco when he needed to the most.

DeMarco fought back, but the bell rang, and the fight ended. It was a close fight, and it took some time for the judges’ scores to be read. All three scored it 98-92 for James. The hometown hero won a grueling unanimous decision that was uglier than the scores relate.

James is currently rated as the 17th best welterweight in the world. His stock is sure to rise after his performance against DeMarco.