Premier Boxing Champions delivers another late night prospects show. The main even is undefeated Jamal James (18-0, 9 KOs) taking on Javier Molina (17-1, 8 KOs) in what should be a real test, either putting James over or Molina on the map.
We’ve got a two-hour show so we’ll likely get at least three fights so we’ll probably get David Benavidez vs Kevin Cobbs at light heavyweight and Caleb Plant vs Adasat Rodriguez at middleweight.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Keep reading for the PBC press release.
As boxers progress from young professional to prospect to contender to champion, the rungs on the ladder become narrower and the climb steeper. Jamal James is starting to experience this firsthand.
After building an impressive 17-0 record by defeating a combination of young fighters and journeymen, James took a big step up in class in September when he faced Juan Carlos Abreu, a Dominican brawler who walked into the ring with an 18-1-1 record, including 17 knockouts. James (18-0, 9 KOs) ended up surviving the toughest test of his career to date, rising from a fourth-round knockdown and flooring Abreu in the sixth en route to a 10-round unanimous decision.
Now the 27-year-old Minneapolis native is set to follow up one big challenge with another when he squares off against Javier Molina (17-1, 8 KOs) on January 19 in a 147-pound battle at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The scheduled 10-rounder headlines a Fox Sports 1 Toe-to-Toe Tuesdays card (11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT).
“I’m excited to be able to showcase my skills on January 19,” James said. “It’s extra motivation to have a very formidable opponent in front of me in Javier Molina. I can’t wait to give the fans a show.”
After an active 2014 when he fought four times in less than 11 months, James took a 5½-month break before kicking off 2015 with a second-round knockout of Daniel Sostre on April 18, his third consecutive stoppage win. He followed that with an eight-round unanimous decision over Michael Balasi on June 27 before closing out his year with the victory over Abreu.
In Molina, James will be facing an opponent riding an eight-fight winning streak, the most recent being a seventh-round stoppage victory over Lenwood Dozier on October 13. It was the 26-year-old’s first bout in nearly a year and marked his third stoppage win his last four outings.
A lifelong Southern California native, Molina will be fighting in his backyard and returning to the venue where he won his first pro fight in March 2009.
“This is a huge opportunity for me to fight at home, and it’s extra motivating to fight in the same venue where I made my pro debut,” Molina said. “I’ve seen Jamal fight in the amateurs. We haven’t fought, but we know each other well.”
While Molina will have the homefield edge in this bout, he’ll be at a decided disadvantage in terms of size. At 5-foot-9, he’ll be ceding five inches to the 6-2 James, who is exceptionally tall and long for a 147-pound boxer.
The show is on FS1 at 11 p.m. Watch these guys punch each other in the faces for our amusement.
