By Cliff Rold

27-year old Welterweight Jamal James (18-0, 9 KO), 144 ¼, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, came off the floor and scored a knockdown of his own en route to a ten-round unanimous decision over 28-year old Juan Carlos Abreu (18-2-1, 17 KO), 144 ½, of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in the main event Friday night at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Abreu’s only other loss came by decision to former titlist Humberto Soto in 2014.

The referee was Telis Assimenios.

James struggled early, giving up his edge in height and reach and allowing Abreu to control the pace of the fight. Abreu scored a knockdown in the fourth that was a judgment call for the referee as it could also have been ruled a foul given a right hand behind the head. Matters settled and James started to use his jab, beginning to catch Abreu with bigger shot. In round six, James sent Abreu to the floor and had him hurt but Abreu got up and made it to the corner.

Abreu came out lively to start the seventh, trying it seemed to show James he was no worse for wear. A big right hand did more than that, putting James in retreat for a moment. James got his bearings and fired back hard, slowing the Abreu rally. A James right hand had Abreu in trouble during the late part of the round but Abreu willed himself through it and made it to the eighth.

The ninth round saw Abreu with a bit of a second wind, closing the frame strong. He stunned James with a left to the body and landed some big, easy to see haymakers down the stretch. With three minutes to go, both men were tired and could feel victory was still within reach.

A right hand landed and Abreu went to the floor in the first minute of the tenth but Assimenios ruled it a slip. James appeared to outwork Abreu for the rest of the round but the fight kept its awkward, if physical, form. James was ultimately rewarded for his strong second half at scores of 97-91 and 96-92 twice for James.

James was respectful of Abreu in the televised post-fight interview. “(Abreu’s) an exceptional opponent. He came out and did his thing.” With a swelling under his left eye, James talked about going the ten round distance for the first time. “I learned that I had that willpower and that, when you’re with a tough opponent, and it might seem you need to really start pushing it, I can start pushing it.”

Whether he can push it all the way towards serious contention in the deep Welterweight division is a tale still to be told.

Welterweight swing bout action before the main event came with some controversy. 21-year old Willie Jones (4-0, 2 KO), 146 ¼, of Tampa, Florida, landed a foul shot after the opening bell that all but knocked out 23-year old Jamal Harris (3-1, 1 KO), 145 ¾, of Pensacola, Florida. Harris was given time to recover and finished the fight, losing a unanimous decision in six rounds by scores of 57-55 and 58-54 twice. The referee was Telis Assimenios.

Exciting 19-year old Jr. Middleweight prospect Erickson Lubin (13-0, 10 KO), 154, of Orlando, Florida, continued his rise with an impressive sixth-round stoppage of 34-year old veteran Orlando Lora (31-6-2, 19 KO), 153 ¾, of Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. It was Lora’s fifth stoppage loss and fourth in six starts. Lubin scored an official knockdown in round two and finished matters with a barrage in the sixth. The referee was Frank Santore Jr.

Lora was on the back foot from the outset as Lubin came forward behind a long southpaw right jab. Mixing up rights to the body and straight lefts upstairs, Lubin put in steady work as Lora looked to counter with rights.

Both men opened up more in a crowd pleasing second round, Lubin still taking the worst of it. At the end of the second, a booming right uppercut sent Lora flailing and Santore ruled the ropes had kept him up, issuing an eight-count for the official knockdown. The round was over and Lora was able to make it out for the third.

Lubin continued to dominate the contest while Lora bravely carried on, punching back and getting punched harder. In the sixth, a closing salvo from Lubin had Lora in big trouble and Santore opted to save him from further punishment as the corner called for the end, saving Lora from being force to the floor. The official time of the stoppage was 1:58 of the sixth round.

A smiling Lubin was ready for the future as he took another step closer to contention. “I just want to keep moving up from here,” he said in the televised post-fight interview. Performances like this will make fans want to come along for the ride

The televised opener saw both Middleweight battlers fall. Ultimately, 30-year old Wilky Campfort (21-1, 11 KO), 156, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida was the last man standing with a second round stoppage of 30-year old Ronald Montes (16-3, 14 KO), 155 ¼, of Barranquilla, Colombia. Campfort was dropped in the first but scored three knockdowns in round two. It was the second stoppage loss for Montes. The referee was Telis Assimenios.

Montes scored a flash knockdown in the first with a finishing left jab at the end of a combination. Campfort repaid the slight with a more violent knockdown in the second, hurting Montes with a right hand. They battled at close quarters after Montes got up, Campfort pressing the attack. With less than a minute to go, Campfort landed another big right to score his second knockdown. Montes got up again but his legs were a mess. Campfort landed a big left hook to drive him to the ropes, then another, and finally a third sent Montes to the floor just a second before the bell. Assimenios called a halt to the fight, the official time 2:59 of round two.

Campfort’s lone loss came via four-round decision in his second professional contest.

The card was televised in the US on Bounce TV as part of the “Premiere Boxing Champions” series.

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene and a member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com