Who is Omari Jones? Know more about the 21-year-old boxer who became the first American boxer to qualify for Paris Olympics 2024

Omari Jones was born on November 7, 2002, in Orlando, Florida. He made his international debut in 2021 at the Elite World Championships and has since been a vital cog in American boxing. Jones' coaches include Jason Galarza, Karl Jones, and Craig Duncan.

He picked up boxing at the tender age of 8 as a hobby and won his first U.S. Championships in 2020. Besides his boxing career, the 21-year-old is a big fan of golf and is frequently seen with his backpack on the greens.

He recently secured a quota for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the welterweight division after beating India's Nishant Dev in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament in Busto Arsizio.

In the quarterfinals of the 71 kg category event, Jones was dominant from the word go as he gained an early lead of 5-0 over Dev. However, the Indian boxer came back strongly in the second round but was no match for the strong jabs and sidestep technique of Jones who clinched the match and solidified his Olympic berth.

In the interview with USA Boxing, Jones dedicated his victory to the kids of his hometown, Orlando. He said:

“I am officially an Olympian…First off, all glory to God. This is for the kids in Orlando, and it is to show them that it is possible and that you can do it. I thought it was impossible in one part of my life, but I made it happen. Orlando, I am coming home an Olympian!“

USA had five chances in the qualifying tournament with Jamal Talley, Omari Jones, Robby Rahim Gonzales, Roscoe Hill, and Emilio Garcia taking the ring for them. However, barring Jones, the rest of the contenders failed to punch their tickets after suffering losses in the qualifying event.

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Omari Jones' career so far

Omari Jones is turning out to be the new wonder kid in the American boxing circuit. The 21-year-old started slowly in the Olympics qualifying tournament but quickly caught momentum and was a force to be reckoned with in the tournament.

He won a silver medal in the 2021 Elite Men's World Championships in Belgrade. During his campaign in the tournament, Jones defeated Olympians Wanderson de Oliveira in the quarterfinals and Sewonrets Okazawa of Japan in the finals.

Jones is also the defending champion at the Gee Bee International Tournament and the Czech Republic Grand Prix.