HOUSTON, Texas – Omari Jones has vowed to maintain his discipline despite a growing sense of pressure to fight with greater spite.
The promising junior middleweight recorded five victories in the 12 months that followed his professional debut, but after the last of those – the unanimous decision over Christian Gomez in March – the high expectations that surround him contributed to a demand for him to entertain.
On Saturday at the Fertitta Center he fights the undefeated Diego Zuniga and insists that delivering a “statement” is at the forefront of his mind. His promoters Matchroom, similarly, want him to complement gaining experience with building a reputation as a fighter to invest in, and to that end – after his appearance on the undercard of O’Shaquie Foster-Raymond Ford – are preparing to deliver for him a further two fights before the conclusion of 2026.
“It’s not just being more aggressive, it’s about me putting on my best performance,” the 23 year old told BoxingScene. “I want to put everything together – from my last fight, a lot of people said it was a boxing clinic and they would have liked to have seen a stoppage. I would be more aggressive, but I’m not gonna let outsiders throw my game plan off, and who I am as a fighter.
“I’m not sure where the art of fighting and dominating – going rounds – got lost. I actually got a lot of love from a lot of people, so I took a lot of the positives, and it outweighed the negatives, ‘cause a lot of people was happy with my performance, and you had a small bunch of people who wasn’t, but I was super happy with it and think it was my best performance. My team was super happy with it. People are getting impatient, and aren’t there to see the art of boxing – they just want to see knockout, knockout, knockout, and brawl and action. But the name of the game is to hit and not get hit.
“It’s a balance of both [entertaining and winning]. Not getting lost and tricked out of my spot; to brawl and just go crazy in there. But being able to box, being able to bang, whenever I want to on my terms. I’m the boss in the ring and take control in the fight. I’d be able to do what I wanna do.
“[Matchroom have] been happy with what I’ve been doing, ‘cause my first five fights I dropped guys; stopped guys, and the only fight that wasn’t like that was my last fight. Who are these people to tell me to go out there and bang? I’m just gonna do what I’m gonna do.”
Asked about the test presented by the 30-year-old Zuniga, who is expected to prove both physical and aggressive, he responded: “This opponent’s pretty good. He has a 9-0 record. He’s coming to fight. Any undefeated fighter wants to keep that undefeated record. The last opponent I fought, people thought he was a walkover, and the opponent before that was undefeated; these undefeated guys are tough ‘cause they know their 0 is on the line.
“He has a decent jab. He tries to be rough, so we’ll see what he comes with. All I know is I’m gonna stick to my game plan and what I do, and he’ll adjust to me.
“The feet [are his weakness]. Me being athletic, my feet is gonna be the dictator, and I’ll be able to start off with that, get my rhythm, and it’s gonna start with the feet – angles, and things like that.
“The last opponent, he was 23-6 with a 90 per cent knockout ratio. The opponent himself was a statement into how I’m moving as a prospect. The opponent before that was undefeated. He was stubborn – I knocked him down in the first round, he got back up and he fought. I want to make statements each time. I want people to say ‘That kid’s special’ each time out, and I would love to steal the show.”
Jones, who impressed Matchroom at Paris 2024, is being fast-tracked and built in his home city of Orlando by his promoters. Three of his six fights – including his professional debut – have been staged there, and he expects to fight there again in the coming months before headlining there in 2027.
“Eddie Hearn and Matchroom first set the plan out when we first met in Paris after the Olympics,” he explained. “They were gonna keep me busy; we were gonna have fight after the fight. ‘We gonna go to your home in Orlando and you’re gonna make your name there and bring out a lot of your fans.’ That’s everything and more that I’ve been wanting and asking for. I’m super happy, and I wanna be that prospect of the year, and with me being busy that puts me in a great spot to be able to do that.
“I’mma have two more fights by the end of this year. One will definitely be in Orlando, and next year I have four more fights and am hopefully headlining in Orlando, so that’s the goal.”
Zuniga, of Des Moines, Iowa, sees in the marketable Jones the opportunity to transform his career. He also believes that against him his greater experience as a professional fighter represents his greatest chance of success.
“He’s a good fighter,” Zuniga said. “I still think he has an Olympic style, transitioning into the pros.
“He’s the tallest; the sharpest. I’d say [he’s the best I’ve fought].
“His height; his feet; he moves well, and he has sharp punches. His movement, his length and his sharpness [are his strengths].
“I’ve seen his fights. I’ve seen how he fights and how he composes himself. I plan on introducing him furthermore into the pros [by making this physical].
“Congratulations to him for going to the Olympics, and qualifying, and stuff like that. That’s always real good. But a fight’s a fight; you can bring what you bring to the table but we’re still gonna have to fight, man; we’re gonna have to see what you’re about on the inside.
“A fight like this is real good exposure for me. I’ve been doing this for a while. It really hasn’t hit; I was expecting to feel like excited, or jittery, or some sort of feelings. But honestly, it just feels like we’re here in Houston and on the job.
“I just really need the exposure. I’ve always been an exciting fighter; the fans are gonna love me. They’re gonna love what they see; if they like me and wanna see more of me, let’s do it. That’s what I wanna do.”
