James vs Cooper Predictions: Brave welters take on a close one

Unbeaten welterweights collide on Saturday March 19 when Eithan James and Owen Cooper go at it live on TNT Sports 1. The Resorts World Arena in Birmingham will host this set-to for the vacant English welterweight crown and James’ WBO European strap. Here are your Betfred Insights James vs Cooper predictions ahead of a thrilling battle between young welters.

This is a huge platform for two emerging young talents and each man deserves immense credit for taking the fight. Both are 23 years of age and to risk an unbeaten record in a close fight this early in their journeys is brave. Too many boxers cling to their ‘0’ above all else, sacrificing quality competition for marketability. But James and Cooper are putting their money where their mouth is in this one.

James is further along in terms of experience. He has banked 12 fights to Cooper’s nine at this stage. ‘Jammy’ also has that WBO European title win under his (championship) belt. While the sanctioning body’s version of the continental crown is not as legitimate as the traditional EBU version, it does clear the path to favourable world rankings. Never hurts to be on the radar of the title-minting cartels.

Otherwise these two are fairly well-matched. James has banked two 10-rounders to Cooper’s one. Each man has spent the rest of his ring time carving up journeymen in four, six and eight-rounders. James has the edge in terms of a signature win. While none of the names truly radiate in Cooper’s copybook, James’ unanimous nod over the decent James Moorcroft hints at a bright future. 

But every story starts with an initial step. James could be the first notable victory for Cooper. It’s certainly possible. Cooper is priced up at 7/5 to get it done, giving him a 41.7% chance in the eyes of Betfred. He has a slender advantage in the power department, having notched stoppages in a third of his nine fights. James, meanwhile, has gone the distance in all 12 of his outings. He has also been knocked down in his career, in the first round of a win over Keanan Wainwright.

But I don’t rate Cooper’s power highly enough to force that issue. I think James will keep his powder dry and box himself to victory here. It’ll be nip and tuck, a fight as close as the odds suggest. But I think ultimately James will win the English title and retain his WBO European designation via a decision. The odds on that happening are 8/11, indicating James has a 57.9% chance of pulling that result off.

You can find all our latest boxing tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page