The 21-year-old boxer from Orlando is scheduled to make his Olympic debut Wednesday morning.
Born and raised in Pine Hills, Omari Jones has been boxing since he was eight years old.
Last updated: July 29, 2024 2:23 PM EST
It's been years since an American male boxer has won a medal on the Olympic stage. Now, this summer, one Orlando native is looking to change that. The sport. Kristen Lago spoke with 21-year-old Omari Jones, who is looking to become the new face of our sport. In boxing and in life, you fall down and you get up again, and perhaps no one knows that better than 21-year-old Omari Jones. I feel like I've been beaten so many times in my life, certainly in and out of the ring. But for me especially, I had to make sure that I got through every hurdle in life to make my dreams come true. To fight for my dreams. He knew that was his for a long time. That was Amari at age 8. Now, 13 years later, he's spoken about his goal to be real, and yes, he's still in the ring, but standing there as an Olympian. Someone sent me some data on what the odds of an American becoming an Olympian are, and it seems to be very, very low. So to have my name mentioned alongside some of the greats who have been Olympians before me and who are Olympians now, it's like a new chapter in history for me. The Orlando native got interested in boxing after doing karate. He loved the contact and the discipline of boxing. But it wasn’t until he was a teenager that he realized the sport was becoming more than just a hobby. And that’s when I started saying, “Okay, let’s try and make it to the Olympics,” and stuff like that. He started training two or three times a day, competing in national events, and earning a spot in the Team USA network. Oh yeah. And this was while he was still in high school and had been pursuing it for 13 years. That means he misses prom and parties and a ton of events, and he misses his family because he’s always going out so much. But the sacrifice was always worth it, because he knew the payoff. And then this March, it all came to fruition, with Jones defeating India’s Nasha Dev at the Paris 2024 World Qualifier in Italy. Now, when I got in his field of vision, the first thing I thought was, I did it. I screamed at the camera, I told everyone, I screamed and let out all my stress and all my hard work. I wanted to prove to myself first, and then prove that my goals and dreams were possible. Because the message Jones always wanted to convey was to never give up, never get down. But for the kids in Orlando and kids around the world watching, it was that anything you set your mind to is possible. Olympian Omari Jones is now carrying the torch for other athletes on the road to Paris. I'm Kristen Law.
The 21-year-old boxer from Orlando is scheduled to make his Olympic debut Wednesday morning.
Born and raised in Pine Hills, Omari Jones has been boxing since he was eight years old.
Last updated: July 29, 2024 2:23 PM EST
Related video above: 21-year-old boxer from Orlando selected to represent the United States in the 2024 Olympics. A young boxer born and raised in Orlando will step into the most important ring of the summer early Wednesday morning. Omari Jones, 21, will represent the United States in a men's boxing qualifying round of 16 bout against Chia Wei Kang of Chinese Taipei. The bout, in the 71kg weight class, is scheduled to start at 5:48 a.m. This will be Jones' first time appearing in Paris as part of the 2024 Olympics and his first appearance as an Olympian. He hopes to become the first American male boxer to bring home a medal in the past 20 years. About Omari Jones Born and raised in Pine Hills, Jones found his ultimate passion in boxing at the age of 8. He wants others to look up to him and know that they can do anything if they put their mind to it. “If I can come out of Orlando and be an Olympian, I'm setting a trend and I believe I can definitely do it,” Jones told WESH 2 in May before leaving for the Olympic Training Center in Colorado. Related article: Central Florida community celebrates young boxer with 2024 Olympic aspirations Jones began training two or three times a day while in high school, competing at national tournaments and catching the attention of the U.S. team. “Someone sent me the percentage of what it would be like for an American to be an Olympian, and it was a very, very low number,” Jones said. “To have my name listed alongside all the greats who have come before me and are doing it now, it's like I'm writing my chapter in history right now,” Jones told WESH 2. In his first international competition, the 2021 Elite World Championships, Jones won a silver medal with Team USA. Now, Team USA calls him one of their “most consistent boxers,” and he's won back-to-back gold medals at both the 2023 Gee Bee International Tournament and the Czech Republic Grand Prix. Related article: How to watch Omari Jones, the 21-year-old boxer from Orlando who will represent Team USA in the 2024 Olympics Jones will compete in the men's boxing preliminaries on July 31 just before 6 a.m. For NBC's complete boxing schedule and viewing options, click here
Related video above: 21-year-old boxer from Orlando to represent USA in 2024 Olympics
A young boxer born and raised in Orlando is scheduled to step into the ring in the most important event of the summer early Wednesday morning.
Omari Jones, 21, is scheduled to represent the United States in the men's boxing qualifying round of 16 against Chia Wei Kang of Chinese Taipei.
The 71kg bout is scheduled to start at 5:48 a.m.
This will be Jones' first time competing in Paris as part of the 2024 Olympics and his first time competing as an Olympian, as he hopes to become the first American male boxer to take home a medal in the last 20 years.
About Omari Jones
Born and raised in Pine Hills, Jones discovered his ultimate passion in boxing at the age of 8. He wants others to look up to him and know that they can do anything they set their mind to.
“If I come out of Orlando and do that, I think I'm setting a trend, [the kids] “I know I can do it,” Jones told WESH 2 in May before leaving for the Olympic Training Center in Colorado.
Related: Central Florida community celebrates young boxer on his way to 2024 Olympics
Jones began training two or three times a day while in high school, competing in national championships and catching the attention of the U.S. team.
“I was sent a document that looked at the odds of an American becoming an Olympian, and it's extremely low,” Jones said. “To have my name mentioned alongside all the great athletes that have been Olympians before me or are Olympians now, it feels like I'm writing my chapter in history right now,” Jones told WESH 2.
In his first international competition, Jones won a silver medal representing the United States at the 2021 Elite World Championships, and now the U.S. team is calling him one of their “most consistent boxers” with back-to-back gold medals at both the 2023 GeeBee International and Czech Republic Grand Prix.
Related: 21-year-old boxer from Orlando to represent USA in 2024 Olympics
How to watch Omari Jones
Jones will compete in the men's boxing preliminaries on July 31 just before 6 a.m. For NBC's complete boxing schedule and viewing options, click here
