Thomas Dulorme has been around the block in boxing. The Puerto Rican has fought some of the best names around welterweight, but says competing for the glory of his fighting nation is what drives him on.
On Saturday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, Dulorme moves a step closer to that goal when he takes on Minneapolis favourite Jamal James (26-1, 12 KOs) for the WBA interim title at 147lbs, live on Fox in the US.
A former WBO title challenger at 140lbs, Dulorme (25-3-1, 16 KOs) certainly has the credentials to prevail with a win over previously unbeaten contender Terrel Williams (W10), stalemate with two-weight champion Jessie Vargas (D12) and wafer-thin points loss to the dangerous Yordenis Ugas in his last three fights.
“Jamal James is a good fighter, obviously his talent has got him to the position where he is now. But I don’t think that it’s going to be enough to get him through all 12 rounds on Saturday night,” said Dulorme, who challenged Terence Crawford in April 2015..
“It would mean so much to win a world title, not just for me, but it would mean a great deal to the whole island of Puerto Rico. It would mean so much and it’s much bigger than me. That’s what I fight for.
“Me and my coach Joel Diaz made a few adjustments this camp. I never went back to Puerto Rico during the pandemic, I stayed in California the whole time. We didn’t stop training, we just slowed down a little bit and then built it back up once we knew when this fight would happen.
“Every fight is important and a win on Saturday will get me closer to what I want. I’m aiming for the world title and I’m going to keep working to get there.”
The WBA Super champion at 147lbs is Manny Pacquiao while the WBA Regular belt is vacant after the positive drug test and stripping of former title-holder Alexander Besputin.
Main image: Stephanie Trapp/TGB Promotions.