Radzhab Butaev defeats Jamal James after controversial round 9 TKO

Radzhab Butaev defeated Jamal James in a major welterweight contest, but the ending was botched by the referee, which marred a great fight.

Radzhab Butaev had an excellent night at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino on Oct. 30. He came in as a welterweight boxing contender and walked away with the WBA “regular” title.

Jamal James (27-2, 12 KOs) lost his belt in his Showtime main event, and he never looked like he was in the fight. James fought for the first time in over a year, and the long layoff didn’t help.

Butaev (14-0, 11 KOs) wasn’t much more active over the last year, but he was the sharper boxer. He perplexed James by coming out as a southpaw. He further confounded James by switching stances throughout the fight and took the fight to James.

Butaev did an excellent job of closing the distance, and he continuously came forward like a tank. James tried to keep Butaev away, but his punches bounced off Butaev’s arms. Butaev was the thicker, stronger fighter, and he used his strength to push James back all night.

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James tried to fight on the inside, but that was Butaev’s game. It was a tactical mistake by James, but he lacked the mobility to escape Butaev. It probably had something to do with all the body punches he absorbed.

Radzhab Butaev controlled the fight against Jamal James and has some WBA hardware for his efforts

The one dangerous moment for Butaev came in round 5 when referee Celestino Ruiz’s deducted a point from Butaev for hitting James after he turned his back. It was an overzealous deduction, but Ruiz’s decision-making eroded as the rounds went by.

Ruiz repeatedly prematurely separated Butaev and James. At one point, Butaev hit James to the side of the head, and Ruiz pushed them apart even though they weren’t in the clinch. The punch was near the back of James’ head, but James turned his head. A separation wasn’t warranted, considering the fighters weren’t touching.

Then, the inexplicable happened in round 9.

James was losing the fight but continued to show heart and was letting his hands go. Butaev came on and hit James with several shots, but nothing alarming. Ruiz jumped in and waved off the fight, even though James didn’t appear in danger. He took Butaev’s punches well, but Ruiz decided it was quitting time.

It was a highly unpopular decision, which caused the fight to end in disappointment. James was a gentleman after the contest and didn’t criticize Ruiz’s performance as the fight’s referee, even though criticism was warranted.

Butaev moves on and is a player in the 147-pound division.