ORLANDO, Florida —
Omari Jones couldn't have drawn up a better start to his pro career.
Nearly six months in, Jones, a
2024 Olympic bronze medalist, has flashed the potential that makes him
one of the sport's most promising prospects (3-0, 3 KOs). None of his three opponents took him past three rounds in scheduled six-rounders.
As the 22-year-old progresses, though, the level of competition will rise and he'll have to settle into a weight class instead of fighting at a catchweight. He has weighed 149.5 pounds for each of his bouts, which straddles the welterweight and junior middleweight limits.
In the 2024 Paris Olympics, he competed at junior middleweight, which has a limit of 156 for amateurs.
Jones hopes to start at 147 as a pro but can see himself going up to 168.
"I've been contemplating that a lot lately," Jones told
The Ring. "I've been doing catchweights because a lot of the time the guys can't make 147, so it's either 152 or 150. I feel like if I want to go on a Hall of Fame run, and I want to [win in] multiple weight divisions when I settle down and it's time for a belt, I probably would have to start at 147, then 154, 160 and probably end off at 168 as I keep getting older."
In his last fight, Jones stopped Alfredo Rodolfo Blanco in three rounds on July 19 in Frisco, Texas, on the
undercard of Bam Rodriguez-Phumelela Cafu.
As Blanco (24-15, 11 KOs) was lunging into range with winging shots, Jones dropped him with a counter left hook at the end of the second round. Sensing blood in the water, the Orlando native eventually got Blanco on the ropes and dropped him again with a left hook to the solar plexus in the next round. The 14-year veteran was unable to beat referee Hector Afu's 10-count.
"Right now, that's one of my favorite ones," Jones said of his stoppage victory over Blanco. "I was able to get more rounds and show my talent. I was able to show my power [with] a knockdown, and then a second knockdown with a body shot. When I look back at it, from what we did in the gym, it played out in the ring [and] what I was supposed to do."
The knockout of Blanco was Jones' second straight with a left hook to the body. In his previous fight, Jones stopped William Jackson in the first round on April 12 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
"I feel like I've grown and sit down on my punches a little bit more," Jones said. "In the amateurs, it was output, stay busy, and a sprint, three minutes, three rounds, and you got to get the job done within that short time frame.
"With the pros, I got a little bit more time to work with, and I feel like I'm able to show my talent in these fights."
How a top prospect is handled varies by the promoter and largely depends on fighter development, as well as their amateur background.
Jones, who is
promoted by Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing, has eased into the paid ranks steadily and, with his early success, is content staying on a similar schedule.
"I definitely would like a steady pace [and] a steady build up," he said. "I feel there's no rush for me to be at this stage at a certain time. There's no pressure with that. I'm just going to keep taking it fight by fight, keep entertaining and putting on great performances."