JADED by the same questions about rehydration clauses, anti-doping case transparency and the like, Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn's face lights up when the topic of his latest upcoming debutant Omari Jones is introduced.

So then, what makes him special?

"Listen, he's the full package. He's got unbelievable skills, fantastic work ethic, a great personality, he looks the part and is a star in the making, you'll soon see," Hearn recently told The Ring.

Following the Raymond Ford model of tracking an amateur standout's progress and sowing seeds with them on Instagram, the 22-year-old Orlando-based boxer made a point to hail Hearn as the first promoter contacting him after winning Olympic bronze at last summer's Paris Games. Three meetings later, they sealed the deal and a long-term contract was agreed.

Seven months after his last fight, losing a 3-2 split decision against eventual champion Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev, Jones will debut as a professional in the co-feature of Matchroom's seven-fight bill headlined by middleweight contender Austin 'Ammo' Williams (17-1, 12 KOs) next weekend on home soil.

Former WBA super-featherweight titleholder Ford (16-1, 8 KOs) and Jones featured heavily alongside Hearn in Matchroom's watchalong of Dalton Smith vs. Walid Ouizza on January 25, where the latter commentated during their subsequent Las Vegas show headlined by Diego Pacheco vs. Steven Nelson.

That night saw the debut of a familiar face for Jones in Indian southpaw Nishant Dev (1-0, 1 KO), who needed less than a full round to blast beyond Alton Wiggins on the undercard portion.

Dev, two years his senior, was second best against Jones this time last year during an Olympic qualifier in Italy - losing 4-1 over three rounds. Hearn wants to build a future two-fight series between them in the paid ranks, one of many amateur-based storylines the bronze medallist is willing to pursue.

Trained by father Carl and Jason Galarza, who notably worked with junior-middleweight contender Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs), Jones' fellow bronze medallist Lewis Richardson hinted at a future meeting, though the 27-year-old Brit's future is undecided as he could yet embrace another Olympic cycle.

On whether there's a chip on his shoulder, Omari told BoxingScene: "There's still something to prove. If I stepped in with a gold, they would've said 'well he's already the best', I don't feel any pressure to perform as it's something I've been doing since I was young, nothing swayed me away from performing. I was continuously on the USA team and will continue performing as a pro."

When asked about what he wants to show on his debut, the 22-year-old echoed Hearn's confidence about his future.

"Dominance, experience, I've had a lot of time since last August to make adjustments, just want to show my skills, power, speed, that I'm the full package. I'm in there with a 14-5 veteran, so used to fighting top-level people every time and didn't want an 0-2 guy, I said put me in there against a guy with experience."

Lazio's Alessio Mastronunzio (14-5, 4 KOs) will be quietly hoping for better luck on his return Stateside, having been overwhelmed inside a round by another of Jones' former amateur foes in Xander Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) in December 2021.

Jones and the Puerto Rican are agemates, though the Top Rank-backed rising star has been a professional since 2019 - having won eight straight, including the 2018 youth national championships - before joining the pro code.

A three-round decision nod over Jones in the preliminary round kickstarted his run through to success at national level, with established professionals Amari Jones (13-0, 12 KOs) and super-middleweight Daniel Blancas (12-0, 5 KOs) among Xander's resume having also won the Junior Open in consecutive years.

Jones said Dev and Mexico's Marco Verde - who beat him at the 2023 Pan American Games - were two of the best he's faced, the latter set to make his own professional bow on the Canelo Alvarez vs. William Scull undercard on May 4 at middleweight. Future possibilities across multiple divisions feel inevitable as Jones steps up the levels, though there's no rush.