Amari Jones Discusses Headlining Friday’s GBP Card And Setting Expectations

When you speak to Jones, you quickly realize he has something of a Jekyll & Hyde personality. The person you see in the ring isn’t the same as the one outside it. In the ring, he tries to end fights early with an all-action style, but outside of it, he’s quiet and reserved, carrying the maturity of someone years beyond his age. So when you ask Jones who he is, the answer you get isn’t that surprising.

“Amari Jones is a stand-up guy,” Jones told FightsATW. “I live by the book, don’t mess around, and take my job seriously. I’m here to win these world titles and make a lot of money.”

Although he desires to win world titles and the money that comes with them, what drives Jones is his family and the work he does for the kids in his community. Jones owns The Lion’s Den Boxing Gym in Pittsburg, CA, which is a nonprofit. The gym’s website states the following:

“Lion’s Den Boxing Gym was built to give Pittsburg something real: a boxing gym that serves the community and takes the work seriously. It is a place where kids can build discipline, teens can find direction, and adults can train in a room that feels honest from the minute they walk in.

What makes Lion’s Den different from every other boxing or fitness gym around here is that it can do both jobs at once. It is a safe space for families and young athletes, but it is also home to serious fighters, including Amari Jones, now 16-0 with 14 knockouts and signed to Golden Boy.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Lions Den is built to serve more than just competitors. The gym creates a safe, structured place for youth development, community support, and real mentorship in Pittsburg.”

Jones takes pride in having a place kids can go to within his community. It’s the part of him that fans may not know about, but they will hopefully know more of as time goes by and he continues to climb the rankings.

It was last summer that I met Jones for the first time in person at the press conference for Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Golden Boy Promotions was excited to announce their latest signing, Jones, and I spoke to him for a few minutes. You could tell it was all new to him, and he was just trying to take it all in. But in that moment, as he looked around and saw the cameras and media in the building, a certain level of expectation had to have been set in his mind about what it would look like for him now that he’s with a promoter.

Jones has nothing but great things to say about his first 11 months with the promotional company and feels they are doing everything they discussed when he signed with them. “They’ve been doing everything they said they would since signing with them, so I can’t complain,” said Jones. “I’m loving it over here. I just hope we can keep the ball rolling like this.”

Now Jones is headlining his own event, and he couldn’t be happier, as he expects a ton of support come fight night. “It means a lot (headlining at the SAP Center),” said Jones. “A couple of years ago, I fought in Oakland, but it wasn’t nowhere near as big as this, being on DAZN and at the SAP Center. I’ve only been to the SAP Center once in my whole life, and that was recently for a Sharks game. This is huge. I have a lot of people coming out, and I just can’t wait to perform and eventually bring a world title back home.”

Although Jones is anticipating walking into the SAP Arena on Friday as part of the main event, he hasn’t taken his eye off the job at hand, which is the fight against Gualtieri. “He’s a guy who has been a champion before, and in a sense, this is like his last hope. I know he’s going to come in shape and ready to fight. I’m prepared for the best guy in the ring.”

There will be high expectations for Jones to perform big on Friday, and to fuel those expectations even more, Jones has a message for those who will see the fight live in San Jose or on DAZN: “Fans should expect nothing but action,” he said. “Up to this point, I haven’t disappointed any fans. I tend to beat guys up and knock them out. That’s what the fans love; definitely no disappointment.”

The middleweight division is slowly becoming one to watch as fighters from 154 begin to move up to 160. Before it gets too crowded, though, Jones wants to secure his spot as a world champion, which isn’t that far away. If Jones looks great on Friday night, he can be on his way to quickly becoming one of the top names in the division. We will soon find out whether the hype surrounding Jones continues to grow or takes a significant hit.