Jones, who was the fifth and final American to take to the ring this evening, jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after the first round after strong use of his jab and defense; however, Dev came back to take four out of the five judges’ cards in the second round.
With a spot in Paris on the line, Jones would not let a cut he sustained during the round end his dream, and he came away victorious following another impressive round with strong use of his jab and sidestep.
“I am officially an Olympian,” an emotional Jones said following his bout. “First off, all glory to God. This is for the kids in Orlando, and it is to show them that it is possible and that you can do it. I thought it was impossible at one part of my life, but I made it happen. Orlando, I am coming home an Olympian!”
Four other Team USA members, Roscoe Hill (Spring, Texas), Alyssa Mendoza (Caldwell, Idaho), Shera Mae Patricio (Waianae, Hawaii), and Jamar Talley (Camden, N.J.), boxed today. However, they suffered losses and will now look to clinch their place in Paris at the second World Qualifying Tournament in May.
Eight boxers arrived in Italy representing Team USA, hoping to punch their ticket to this summer’s 2024 Paris Olympic Games under USA Boxing National Head Coach Billy Walsh (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Joining Walsh on the coaching staff are National Resident Coach Timothy Nolan (Rochester, N.Y.), National Development Coach Chad Wigle (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and assistant coaches Adonis Frazier (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Christine Lopez (Rowlett, Texas).
The tournament was one of the largest Olympic qualifiers in boxing history. Over 600 boxers from 113 nations competed in the nine-day event with hopes of grabbing one of the 49 quota places available.
Day 9 Results
51 kg: Nijat Huseynov/AZE dec. over Roscoe Hill, Spring, Texas/ USA, 3-2
54 kg: Jutamas Jitpong/THA dec. over Shera Mae Patricio, Waianae, Hawaii/USA, 5-0
57 kg: Julia Szeremeta/POL dec. over Alyssa Mendoza, Caldwell, Idaho/USA, 3-2
71 kg: Omari Jones, Orlando, Fla./USA, dec. over Nishant Dev/IND, 4-1
92 kg: Aibek Oralbay/KAZ dec. over Jamar Talley, Camden, N.J./USA, 5-0