How Amari Jones became one of Golden Boy’s hottest prospects
Jones has a solid support system that includes pound-for-pounder Devin Haney, and he's firmly focused on making waves in the middleweight division.
Amari Jones and Vincenzo Gualtieri face off during a press conference at SAP Center on Wednesday in San Jose, California. (Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images) Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy via Getty Images An extraordinary power base has encircled Amari Jones as the switch-hitter seeks to advance from a red-hot prospect to a bona fide champion in a wide-open division. On Friday, Jones will attempt to rise further in the middleweight division when he faces Vincenzo Gualtieri atop a Golden Boy Promotions card that DAZN will stream live from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.
Gualtieri has lost just once in 27 bouts — a sixth-round knockout to Janibek Alimkhanuly — but has rebounded with four wins since. But considering Jones has manager Rick Mirigian overseeing his deals, Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez promoting his career, and Virgil Hunter in his corner, the pressure will be on to replicate the damage Janibek did to Gualtieri. Hunter heightened the expectations when he compared Jones’ athleticism to that of his most famous student, Andre Ward — a Hall of Fame fighter and one of the sport’s legends who hails from Northern California.
Play 2026 Soccer Pick 'Em with FOX One and make your picks for the world's biggest soccer tournament If Jones plays it right, he could be the next big thing to come from that region. “The sky is the limit,” Jones (16-0, 14 KOs) told Uncrowned days before the fight. The sport is renowned for taking, but it can also give so much.
And, for Jones, it offered a route away from an upbringing where he kept “getting into trouble at school” for fighting because of a complicated home life. “I had stuff going on,” Jones said. “My father was in prison.
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