Welterweight contender Jamal James will be at home for his second fight in a row when he takes on Mahonry Montes.
James and Montes will meet in a 10-round bout that will headline a Premier Boxing Champions card on Aug. 24 (Fox Sports 1 and Fox Deportes, 8 p.m. ET) at the Armory in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Tom Brown of TGB Promotions announced on Thursday.
“Jamal James is building a following in his hometown of Minneapolis as he builds momentum in the welterweight division, and this fight against Mahonry Montes will help him accomplish both things,” Brown said.
James (23-1, 10 KOs), 30, has won three fights in a row since a decision loss to contender Yordenis Ugas in August 2016, including victories against former world title challengers Jo Jo Dan and Diego Chaves and the home win at the Armory against Abel Ramos on April 13.
“I’m in camp training hard for another thriller at home against a pressure fighter in Mahonry Montes,” James said. “I’m going to use my height, range and skills to show that I’m hungry and keeping my eyes on the prize. Once I get past Montes, a big name is going to have to fight me. I’m right on the road to a world title challenge.”
Montes (35-7-1, 24 KOs), 28, of Mexico, is a battle-tested veteran who has won two fights in a row since being stopped in the seventh round by contender Egidijus Kavaliauskas in September.
“I am so excited to have this opportunity against Jamal James,” Montes said. “My last loss was unfortunate because I thought I had my opponent hurt, but I’ve picked up a couple of wins since then and have been training very hard. I’m ready to show everyone that I belong with the best fighters in the world. I’m never in a bad fight and I’m going to show the fans in Minnesota how a real Mexican fights.”
The telecast will include two other 10-round bouts: former two-time middleweight world title challenger Willie Monroe Jr. (22-3, 6 KOs), a 31-year-old southpaw from Rochester, New York, against Immanuwel Aleem (18-1-1, 11 KOs), 24, of Richmond, Virginia, and junior middleweight prospect Jamontay Clark (13-0, 7 KOs), 23, of Cincinnati, taking on Jeison Rosario (15-1-1, 11 KOs), 23, a Dominican Republic native fighting out of Miami.
Also scheduled to appear on the card, but not on the telecast, is former super middleweight world titleholder Caleb Truax (29-4-2, 18 KOs), 34, of Osseo, Minnesota. He is due to face Brazil native Fabiano Pena (15-10-1, 11 KOs), 30, in what will be Truax’s first fight since losing his 168-pound world title in a rematch with James DeGale on April 7 in Las Vegas.
Two top prospects, both 2016 Olympians, will also be on the card: welterweight Eimantas Stanionis (6-0, 5 KOs), 23, of Lithuania but fighting out of Oxnard, California, and heavyweight Efe Ajagba (5-0, 5 KOs), 24, of Nigeria, who is now based in Houston.