Omari Jones will get a tremendous showcase opportunity Saturday for his second professional fight, and he plans on making a statement.
The 2024 United States Olympic bronze medalist Jones (1-0, 1 KO) will take on William Jackson (13-5-2, 5 KOs) in a scheduled six-round welterweight fight at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on the undercard of the welterweight title unification bout between Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis on DAZN.
Although the event will feature a battle between top-ranked champions, a fellow up-and-coming prospect in Zaquin Moses, and former WBA featherweight title holder Raymond Ford, Jones is looking to separate himself from the group with an eye-opening performance.
“I plan on stealing the show,” Jones told The Ring in an interview. “I thought I did great with my debut performance [knocking out Alessio Mastronunzio in two rounds]. He was a veteran of about 20 fights. We chose him for a reason. He was aggressive and came to fight. I took my time getting the data on him and let my hands go. I didn't feel any different [from fighting professionally as opposed to an amateur]. My Olympics background gave me the preparation I needed for moments like this.”
As for the fight between Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) and Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs), Jones doesn’t see the bout as wide as oddsmakers are making it out to be. DraftKings has Ennis listed as a -575 betting favorite and Stanionis as a +475 underdog.
“It's going to be a back and forth battle,” said Jones. “Stanionis comes with pressure but I know that Ennis doesn't shy away from pressure. Jaron can do it all as a switch hitter and getting in on the inside. He can walk you down. He's a great boxer. I don't think he shows that enough. But I definitely feel that he has to show that in this fight due to the pressure that Stanionis brings. Ennis is going to have to get in his boxing bag a little bit more. I see Ennis winning by unanimous or majority decision. I am definitely favoring Ennis for sure, just because styles make fights.”
Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for The Ring. He can be reached on X and Instagram @ManoukAkopyan.