Boxing has always been a part of life for Jamal James,and now he is beginning to reap some of the rewards for his nearly life-long devotion to this demanding sport. He was just a youngster, no more than five years of age, when his mother brought him to the Circle of Discipline Gymnasium in Minneapolis, and was maybe eight years old when he fought his first amateur fight. “I was about 13 when I really started taking everything seriously,’’ James said.

And he hasn’t looked back since. He began fighting in national youth tournaments, Silver Gloves and Junior Olympics, later graduating to the Golden Gloves. He won five Upper Midwest Golden Gloves titles and was a runner-up in the national Golden Gloves and the Police Athletic League tournaments his final year as an amateur.

James is the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame’s Prospect of the Year. After his nationally televised fight September 18 against rugged James Abreu, it is clear that he does indeed have loads of promise. James got off the canvas in the fourth round, put his opponent there in the sixth round and boxed his way to a unanimous decision.

Thus, he is 18-0 as a professional, a record that includes nine knockouts. James comes from a boxing family. His mother is an amateur boxing judge. Jamal’s father, Sankara Frazier, is his coach, and is assisted by Jamal’s brother, Adonis Frazier.It is not just genetics but the culture of boxing that permeates this family. At 6-2, James is tall for a welterweight, yet he insists he is comfortable at the weight and will continue to fight at that level. “I feel good at the weight. If the time comes when I can’t keep the weight off naturally, I can always move up then,’’ he said.

Although he tried baseball and track as a youngster, he did not pursue those sports at Roosevelt High School. Instead, he focused on his one true love – boxing. “Boxing is the only sport I really took seriously,’’ he said. That is becoming increasingly evident each time he steps into the ring.

James is recognized tonight by the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame as its prospect of the year not only for his prowess in the ring. He has represented his home state, the City of Minneapolis, the Circle of Discipline Gym and his family not only well but with the utmost dignity.