Home News Jamal James overcomes knockdown to defeat Juan Carlos Abreu, Lubin & Campfort...

Jamal James overcomes knockdown to defeat Juan Carlos Abreu, Lubin & Campfort win

Credit: Suzanne Teresa/PBC

The main event of Premier Boxing Champions – The Next Round on Bounce TV delivered a unanimous decision win (96 – 92, 97 – 91, 96 – 92) by Jamal James (18-0, 9 KOs) as he outmatched Juan Carlos Abreu (18-2-1, 17 KOs) to stay undefeated. James went down in the fourth round, but battled back to take over the bout, knocking Abreu down in the sixth round and never looking back.

The co-main event showcased an action-packed brawl as Erickson Lubin (12-0, 9 KOs) stopped Orlando Lora (31-6-2, 19 KOs) at one minute fifty-eight seconds into the sixth round. Lubin knocked Lora into the ropes in the second round for what was ruled a knockdown.

The televised opener saw Wilky Campfort (21-1, 12 KOs) stop Ronaldo Montes (16-3, 14 KOs) with only one second remaining in the second round. Campfort was knocked down in the opening round, but fought back to knock down Montes three times in the second round. Montes’ corner intervened to stop the fight as the second round came to a close.

Here is what the televised fighters had to say about their performances:

JAMAL JAMES

“I adapted my style and started boxing more as the fight went on. Eventually I was able to time it right for when he came at me so I could strike first.

“He caught me with a right in the fourth that dropped me, but I didn’t feel too buzzed.

“Hopefully a win like this pushes me even further. I wanted to show my skills, but he was a formidable fighter. This was a great step-up fight for me to show people I’m not just a paper fighter.

“I’m looking for more opportunities with PBC. This was an honor to get to fight in the main event on Bounce TV.

“I’ll fight whoever my manager Al Haymon wants me to fight next. I can’t wait to get back in the gym and continue refining my skills.”

JUAN CARLOS ABREU

“I’m very disappointed in my performance. He’s a good fighter. I knew that, but I was surprised he was able to hurt me with his punches.

“I didn’t fight the way I wanted to. In the first round, I got head-butted and I never really recovered. I was buzzed the whole fight after that and when he hit me, it hurt me more than it normally would.”

ERICKSON LUBIN

“My corner helped me all fight. Every time I went to my corner they were helping me make the right adjustments.

“I kept telling myself that if (Lora) throws two punches then I’m going to throw four. If he threw four, I’d throw eight. I wanted to double his effort and show that I have more will than him. I didn’t want this fight to go this distance.

“Fighting on PBC on Bounce TV is going to help my career take off. I wanted to make a statement on TV so I could start stepping up my competition. I’m working towards a title shot.”

ORLANDO LORA

“I was not surprised at his power. I took his punches to my head very well, but my legs were shot. So I couldn’t move and had to stay in the pocket with him.

“He caught me in the beginning of the fight in the solar plexus and that took my legs away from me for the rest of the fight. He hit me so hard to the body I couldn’t breathe and my legs went numb.

“The stoppage was right. I would have loved to finish the ten rounds, but my corner knew I wasn’t going to go much longer.”

WILKY CAMPFORT

“I’ve always been a slow starter. At the start of the first round I wasn’t listening to my corner and (Montes) caught me off guard. But I got up and showed people what I came here to do.

“(Montes) is a knockout artist in his own right, but I’m a throwback fighter. I’ll fight anyone they put in front of me no matter how tough the other guy is.

“Fighting on this PBC card on Bounce TV is huge. These are the fights I need to be in, fighting a tough opponent and on TV. I showed the fans my heart and that I can punch.

“I want whoever they tell me to fight next. This is a business and I’m in it to win.”

RONALDO MONTES

“When I hurt him with that jab I thought I had him, but Campfort is a very strong guy.

“I got overconfident. My plan was to box him but when I dropped him, I went in for the kill and got caught up in a brawl. That was not my plan. I was going to outbox him. It’s my fault.”