By Jake Donovan

The sound of the cheers from the raucous crowd let Jamal James know he gave his local fans every bit of their money’s worth in his latest win. 

In fact, the only one who didn’t seem fully satisfied in his thrilling 10-round decision over Mexico’s Antonio DeMarco was James himself. 

“I give myself a 7, a 6 or a 7,” James (26-1, 12KOs) told the Fox Sports broadcast team during bonus coverage following Saturday’s PBC on FS1 headliner at The Armory in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minn. “I could have done a lot better.”

Because he didn’t, a Fight of the Year contender emerged from the evening. James has grown accustomed to overwhelming his opponents through volume punching, but DeMarco (33-8-1, 24KOs) has proven to be a tough out even in the twilight of his career. The former lightweight titlist rocked the local favorite with a right hook in round two, the fight evolving from there into a non-stop two-way slugfest.

“He definitely came to give me a fight,” noted James. “The plan was obviously to hit and not get hit, but he was pressuring so we had to show him that we can bang too. The biggest adjustment was probably just calming down, keeping my mind calm when he broke my range. Taller fighters when they get their range broken it breaks them mentally.” 

It never deterred the spirit of the resurgent welterweight contender, who earned his sixth straight victory following an Aug. 2016 points loss to Yordenis Ugas. The fight came on short notice, just four weeks after James went through a grueling 10-round battle with Wale Omotoso. Against Ugas, he stepped in for an injured Bryant Perrella but ultimately bit off more than he can chew at the time.

A respectable winning streak along with his continued development as a regional attraction—the bout marking his fourth straight at home—has now pushed him from rebuilding prospect back to budding contender.

“I’m very thankful for my management team, for Al Haymon,” said James of his career development. “I’m going to sit down with the team and figure out what’s next.

“Who wants to give me this opportunity? I’m not ducking anybody. Boxing is a short-lived opportunity and I want to make it happen.” 

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox