Oviedo is a city in Florida and lies in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical area. This small town in Seminole County, Florida has just a population of roughly 40,000. It is tough to dream big there. But a small boy named Omari dared to dream, and by all means, he did put his town on the global map. Omari Jones is now in the boxing ensemble set to represent Team USA in the March 2024 Paris Olympics. He qualified as a super welterweight 

The young boxer was firm in punching his ticket in the qualifiers held in Italy. Most young lads would consider it an international tour to roam and explore, but Jones always reiterated in his mind, “I’m there for business.” He realizes the burden of hope he is carrying for the 40,000 people in Oviedo, stating, “The competition, we know everybody is going to come hard and come with their best. That’s my goal, too, and at the end of the day, come out on top.” Since Omari gives a lot of credit to his family, let’s take a look at those who have supported him through thick and thin.

All we know about Omari Jones’ parents and siblings

On November 7th, 2002, Karl and Debra Jones gave birth to a baby boy and named him Omari. The couple enrolled Omari and his brothers in karate classes when he was just eight years old, and that’s when he discovered his love for boxing. His father Karl, who is also his coach, has a signature method of showing validation to his son. It’s not something grand, rather, it’s just a subtle nod that connects the brains of the father-son duo. 

As the boxer was moving up in the qualifiers, Karl revealed, “We always have that eye contact at the end of each round, and he always looks for that nod.” There is not much information about his mother Debra. She prefers staying away from the limelight and supports her son from the sidelines. 

Jones has two elder brothers. The eldest is Carl Jr. who is 28, while Dmitri is 26. His two big brothers have graduated from college, and looking at them, Jones also has the urge to complete his degree, despite him going to become an Olympian now. Popularly known as ‘Banger’ in the boxing community, Omari is majoring in business at Valencia College. 

Omari Jones’ family starts a fundraiser for his boxing journey   

The 21-year-old believes, “Being part of Team USA is everything I have dreamed of. It shows that my hard work and dedication has paid off, and I am doing what I love while wearing the red, white, and blue flag on my chest!” But visiting a foreign country, especially one as expensive as Paris, causes a significant financial burden. Travel, lodging, meals, and transportation are a few of the main factors that involve money. Therefore, his parents have a website where people can contribute and donate money for Jones’s dream. 

The young kid from Edgewater High School had become a local hero, given his talent and the good work that he did. From 5th to 12th grade, he was part of a mentoring program that emphasized integrity, perseverance, education, service, and brotherhood. Oviedo residents have also donated to help the youngster’s dream. Not only that, his village also threw him a party when he was selected to represent Team USA. There was food, music, pictures, and most importantly, a ray of optimism to mark Oviedo’s place on the global map. 

He acknowledged all the support that he got from his village and said, “Coming from Orlando, seeing me as a kid, everybody’s just like amazed, like, wow. Like he actually did what he set out to do.” Everyone who helped Jones in his journey turned up for the celebration, including his peers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, coaches, and teachers. That being said, the journey to the Olympics wasn’t easy for Jones.

Omari Jones’ map till the Olympics  

The Florida native made his international debut in 2021 at the Elite World Championships in Belgrade. Though he was eyeing gold, Jones could only secure silver in the tournament. The American went on to win two more gold medals in 2023. One in Finland in April and the other in the Czech Republic in May. However, he lost in the quarterfinals at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. 

This loss cleared out a lot of things for him, and he decided to learn from his setbacks to perform better for Olympics qualification. He entered the arena again with a new perspective after gaining knowledge from his coaches, his father Karl, Craig Duncan, and Jason Galarza.

Jones got off to a ‘banger’ start in his qualifying matchup with Indian boxer Nishant Dev. He secured a one-sided 5-0 score in the first round and continued to come in as the aggressor in the subsequent rounds, coming out on top in the end.

The boxing matches for Paris 2024 will run from July 27 until August 10 at the North Paris Arena and Roland Garros Stadium. Will Omari Jones shine and bring gold to the United States? Tell us what you think.