Omari Jones is fighting to end the 20-year drought dating back to Andre Ward

Omari Jones of Orlando, Florida, is on the brink of making history for Team USA in Paris.

The 71kgs boxer is just two wins shy of becoming the first American male boxer to win Olympic gold since Andre Ward in 2004. It’s been 20 years.

Next for Jones is a showdown with Uzbekistan’s Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev in Tuesday’s semi-finals, at 3:30 p.m. ET. 

Jones will also be the only American to win a medal in boxing at this year’s Olympics. His seven peers have been eliminated. 

“I constantly hear it, but it is my turn now and I got to get the job done,” he said. “I don’t feel any pressure. It is the same ring I have been fighting in for years. So, it is just me going out here and doing what I was born to do.”

By clinching a spot in the semi-finals, Jones has already secured himself a podium finish and at least a bronze medal. He’s the first middleweight American boxer to do so since Andre Dirrell’s bronze at the 2004 Games in Athens. He’s therefore in some pretty elite company – joining the likes of the 2020 Olympic medalists Duke Ragan, Keyshawn Davis, Oshae Jones, and Richard Torrez.

Jones, who won a silver medal at the 2021 world championships, has won both of his contests 5-0 in his first two fights – against Taiwan’s Kan Chia Wei, and Bulgaria’s Rami Kiwan.