Fight Week: Jamal James vs. Radzhab Butaev; Jose Zepeda’s return

FIGHT WEEK

JAMAL JAMES FACES RADZHAB BUTAEV IN A FIGHT HE HOPES WILL SET UP A MAJOR WELTERWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT. ALSO, JOSE ZEPEDA RETURNS AGAINST JOSUE VARGAS.

***

JAMAL JAMES (27-1, 12 KOs) VS. RADZHAB BUTAEV (13-0, 10 KOs)

• When: Saturday, Oct. 30

• Where: Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas

• TV/Stream: Showtime

• Division: Welterweight

• At stake: No major titles

• Pound-for-pound ranking: None

• Odds: NA

• Also on the card: Jaron Ennis vs. Thomas Dulorme, welterweights; Michel Rivera vs. Matias Romero, lightweights; Jean Carlos Torres vs. Darwin Price, junior welterweights

• Prediction: James UD

• Background: James has quietly built a strong resume at 147 pounds, defeating a string of solid opponents and losing only to current titleholder Yordenis Ugas in a fight he took on short notice in 2016. The polished boxer from Minneapolis has won seven consecutive bouts since the setback, including victories over Abel Ramos, Antonio DeMarco and Thomas Dulorme. The Dulorme fight took place in August of last year, meaning James will have been out of the ring for more than 14 months. James, who holds a secondary belt, has his eye on the biggest names in the division. That includes a possible meeting with the winner of a projected title fight between Ugas and Eimantas Stanionis for the WBA belt. Butaev, a Brooklyn-based Russian, reportedly finished his amateur career with a record of 392-8. He lost a unanimous decision (116-112 on all three cards) to countryman Alexander Besputin for the secondary title Ugas owns in November 2019 but the result was changed to a no-contest after the winner tested positive for a banned substance. Otherwise, Butaev is unbeaten against second-tier opposition. He’s coming off a third-round stoppage of Terry Chatwood in a scheduled eight-rounder last December. On the undercard, rising star Jaron Ennis (27-0, 25 KOs) faces Dulorme (25-5-1, 16 KOs) in a scheduled 10-round welterweight bout.

***

JOSE ZEPEDA (34-2, 26 KOs) VS. JOSUE VARGS (19-1, 9 KOs)

• When: Saturday, Oct. 30

• Where: Madison Square Garden, New York

• TV/Stream: ESPN+

• Division: Junior welterweight

• At stake: No major titles

• Pound-for-pound ranking: None

• Odds: NA

• Also on the card: Carlos Caraballo vs. Jonas Sultan, bantamweights

• Prediction: Zepeda KO 10

• Background: Zepeda has been frustrated in world title fights at 135 and 140 pounds – losing in two rounds to Terry Flanagan after dislocating his shoulder and Jose Ramirez by a close decision – but he has otherwise fared well against top-level opposition, including a wide decision over Hank Lundy this May. The Los Angeles-area boxer-puncher’s fifth-round knockout of Ivan Baranchyk was the 2020 Fight of the Year. Zepeda is seeking a third shot at a major title or a rematch with Ramirez. He’s ranked in the Top 5 by the WBC and WBO, whose belts belong to Josh Taylor. Vargas was born in Puerto Rico but lives in the Bronx, New York, where he was an outstanding amateur fighter. He reportedly was 72-8 in the unpaid ranks. He would be undefeated as a professional if it weren’t for a controversial disqualification against Samuel Santana in 2016. However, Zepeda represents a significant step up in opposition for him. We’ll learn a lot about Vargas on Saturday night at the Garden.

ALSO FIGHTING THIS WEEKEND

FRIDAY

• Archie Sharp (20-0, 9 KOs) faces Alexis Boureima Kabore (28-4, 7 KOs) in a 10-round junior lightweight bout Friday in London (ESPN+).

• Fanlong Meng (16-0, 10 KOs) takes on Israel Duffus (20-6, 17 KOs) in a 10-round light heavyweight bout Friday in Kissimmee, Florida (Telemundo).

SATURDAY

• Chantelle Cameron (14-0, 8 KOs) and Mary McGree (27-3, 15 KOs) will unify two junior welterweight titles in London (DAZN).