James: I love Pacquiao Over Thurman, I'd like to fight the winner

By Jake Donovan

At each performance, Jamal James does his best to prove the old adage of not judging a book on its cover.

The 6 "2" welterweight dug deep to win his last win, a 10-round decision over former lightweight title champion Antonio DeMarco (33-8-1, 24KOs) in PBC on the FS1 star at Armory in his home town of Minneapolis, Minnesota

"Because of my tall, slender figure, many cats think I can not break," James told Fox Sports' broadcast crew for his thrilling performance over the post-fight bonus coverage. "But I come prepared. Whether it's 10, 12 … or even 15, I come to fight. "

With his sixth consecutive win, James also comes for a bigger game.

A rising competitor in the welterweight division still stacked, many lucrative opportunities remain numerous. Like everyone who can win 147 pounds these days, however, his focus remains on the biggest fight of 2019 to date.

Titlist of unbeaten welterweight, Keith Thurman puts his record and crown online against legendary former titlist of eight divisions Manny Pacquiao this Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The fight is virtual, Thurman (29-0, 22KO) becoming a favorite betting favorite, but the 30-year-old Florida native is now considered a narrow outsider compared to the 40-year-old former Filipino.

You can count James among those who follow this trend, even if he is always discouraged to predict the outcome.

"These are both great fighters … I love Pacquiao in that one," Officially Offered James (26-1, 12KO), albeit with a touch of hesitation. "Keith Thurman is also an excellent fighter, so you never know. But I love Pacquiao.

What he believes to be much easier to predict is whether he will have a shot at the winner of the evening or even the loser.

"I want Thurman or Pacquiao," James insisted on his next desired target. "They're big names, so they're probably going to be a bit of a hoax. They are going to want bigger money fights, but I really want to fight the winner. "

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