Before Omari Jones earned a bronze medal in the welterweight division for Team USA at the Olympics, he was grinding on the USA Boxing national circuit, often overcoming significant obstacles to compete.
One such moment came in April 2021, when Jones and his father, Karl Jones, faced a unique challenge upon reaching the USA Boxing national tournament in Shreveport, Louisiana.
“We got to Shreveport, and I had to win the nationals there to secure my spot as an elite on Team USA—my first elite tournament,” Jones said. “But when we arrived, the first hotel we stayed at lost power, the water was cold, and all the car rentals were taken.”
With few options left, his father Carl found a solution. It was unconventional, to say the least.
“There was a U-Haul truck right across the street from the hotel,” Omari said. “Not just any U-Haul, but the big moving truck with the box on the back. My dad said, ‘We’re going to do that.’ We stored my stuff in the back and just went with it. We pulled up to the hotel in that U-Haul, and it really showed that as a boxer, you do whatever it takes to get where you need to go.”
Joseph Peres, an amateur boxing coach, was at the same tournament and had first noticed Jones during a 2018 event in Charleston, West Virginia. “It was the first time I saw Omari Jones,” Peres said. “He was just 14, a junior, and he swept through the 15-16 division. I remember thinking, ‘This kid can box.'”
Peres, who was coaching a fighter named Amari Jones at the time, took note of the similarity in names, making Omari stand out to him. Years later, Peres again noticed Jones at the 2021 tournament, this time because of the U-Haul.
“I remember seeing them riding around in that U-Haul,” Peres said. “I was walking everywhere, and I thought, ‘Man, this is the stuff we go through to get to these tournaments.’ It was dope. They stood out—they didn’t just blend in. People saw that U-Haul and knew he was coming. He won the tournament, and the rest was history.”
The unusual choice drew attention but it served its purpose. “People were looking at us like, ‘These dudes really pulled up in a U-Haul,'” Jones said. “But it was dependable, got us from point A to point B, and I went home with the belt.”
For Jones, the experience highlighted the sacrifices and improvisation necessary to succeed in boxing. “That moment is one of the most memorable of my career,” Jones said. “We really pulled up in the U-Haul truck and rented it for the National Championships.”
From driving a U-Haul in Shreveport to standing on the Olympic podium, Jones has shown a level of dedication that extends beyond the ring. His ability to improvise and make things work set him apart. He wasn’t a top favorite to medal, yet he became the only member of Team USA to bring home one.
“We do whatever it takes to get where we have to go,” Jones said. “We did what we had to do—my dad always mentions it.”
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