Northampton boxer Eithan James targeting continental title as he steps up in weight

The Team Shoe-Box fighter takes on Dom Hunt at the Bolton Stadium, having stepped up from the welterweight division.

As a welterweight, James did secure the European title when he beat James Moorcroft in Telford in 2023, but he suffered defeat in his first defence eight months later at the hands of Owen Cooper, who also took home the English title on the night.

That was the first loss of James' professional career.

After a win in his comeback fight against Jermaine Osbourne-Edwards, James then fought for the Commonwealth welterweight title in March last year, but was no match for Constantin Ursu who stopped him in the seventh round.

That loss left James with a record of 13 wins and two defeats, and has led to a rethink for the former King's Heath amateur and his trainer James Conway.

The 25-year-old took on two low-key fights over six rounds in Northampton, seeing off debutant Khya Preston and journeyman Eduardo Vera Sanchez, both on points, and he has now made the decision to move up to super welterweight.

He fights at the weight for the first time against Hunt, who also boasts an impressive record of 17 wins and just one defeat in his 20 professional fights.

The 34-year-old southpaw from Wakefield is a former Central Area champion and has been competing at super welter since his third pro fight in 2019.

He will go into the battle with James off the back of a trilogy of fights with Moorcroft, with the first two ending in draws before Hunt finally claimed the win on a unanimous points call in his hometown last summer.

Hunt has also previously came up against James' fellow Shoe-Box fight Ben Vaughan - and it was a painful experience for him as the Northampton fighter claimed a first round stoppage to inflict on him his only pro loss.

Speaking to BBC Northampton, James explained his reasoning for stepping up to super welterweight.

"When I was at welterweight, it was definitely a struggle," said James, who stands at just under six foot tall.

"I can make it but obviously I'd seen it in a couple of performances that I wasn't reaching my full potential.

"So I decided to move up and give myself a bit of breathing room and I can enjoy my training and build into a big super-welterweight in the coming years."

James is still a young man in terms of professional boxing, and is still ambitious.

"Everyone says world level is where they want to be and obviously that's the main goal," he said.

"But I just want to pick up as many titles as I can, have a team around me that I enjoy working with and just enjoy the sport again."

The clash between James and Hunt is the headline fight on the show at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, the home of Bolton Wanderers FC.