Minneapolis boxer Jamal James wins WBA interim welterweight title belt

Jamal "Shango" James of Minneapolis defeated Thomas Dulorme of Puerto Rico on a unanimous decision in a 12-round nationally televised bout for the vacant WBA interim welterweight title on Saturday night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

James is now 27-1 and has won his past seven fights. The judges' scores were 115-113, 116-112 and 117-111.

At 6-2, James had a 4-inch height advantage and landed 204 punches to 115 for Dulorme, who kept attacking and pursuing James with mixed results. Dulorme's record dropped to 25-4-1.

Their fight was originally scheduled on April 11 at the Minneapolis Armory, but it was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

James, ranked No. 9 in ESPN at his weight, was the favorite in the match and the TV commentators kept saying he was slightly ahead throughout the fight and, near the end, that Dulorme needed something dramatic to happen to win.

James outpunched Dulorme 9-5 in the first round.

But near the end of the second, Dulorme got James on the ropes and hit him with a number of punches. James went to the corner bleeding from his nose.

In the sixth round, referee Thomas Taylor warned Dulorme about hitting James behind the head several times. James landed at least three, four right hands to Dulorme's head.

At the next break, Joel Diaz, Dulorme' trainer, scolded him: "Why are you giving this guy a chance? Now get serious."

Dulorme tagged James with a left hook near the end of the eighth round, but he was still behind 181-102 in punches landed.

James got Dulorme with hard punch in the 11th round that caused a welt under his left eye. And, as he went to his corner, James raised his right arm, signaling his impending win.

"Tonight is going to be my night," James, 32, had said before the fight.

In an earlier bout on the same card, Cuban David Morrell Jr., who trains with James at the Circle of Discipline Gym in south Minneapolis, also got a win on a unanimous decision. He beat previously unbeaten Lennox Allen, a southpaw from New York City, in a 12-round super middleweight fight. Morrell is 3-0, Allen 22-1-1.

Cade Ahrenholz, a 6-3, 200-pound right wing for Lakeville South, announced he has committed to Colorado College on Twitter.

Ahrenholz, who will be a senior this coming school year, had 18 goals and 15 assists last season, helping the Cougars advance to the Class 2A state tournament.

STAFF and Wire Services