Omari Jones is bringing his undefeated record back home. The Orlando-born boxer and 2024 Paris Olympic bronze medalist headlines Matchroom Boxing's Project Series 2 against Alan Sanchez on Friday at Caribe Royale Orlando, marking the biggest moment yet of his young professional career in the city where he grew up.
A Hometown Main Event Years in the Making
The bout, which caps a card built around Jones in his home city, was confirmed for October 2 according to fightmag.com, which reports the card will stream live on DAZN. Jones represented the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he won a bronze medal, according to the Orlando station WESH, which reported on the hometown headline slot. That Olympic run, and the hometown following it built, have followed him into the professional ranks.
Jones, listed by fightmag.com as an unbeaten 23-year-old with a 7-0 record and four knockouts, enters the fight off a unanimous decision win over Diego Zuniga in May. His opponent, 35-year-old Alan Sanchez of Fairfield, California, carries a 24-7-1 record with 10 knockouts and is coming off a third-round TKO loss to Nicklaus Flaz, also in May, per the same fightmag.com report. ESPN's fight schedule lists the bout as an eight-round junior middleweight contest, and BoxRec notes Sanchez stands 5 feet 11 inches tall.
Roots in Edgewater and the School of Hard Knocks
Jones is a product of Orlando through and through. He is a graduate of Edgewater High School's Class of 2018 and has continued working toward a business degree at Valencia College, according to the Orlando Sentinel, which reported he had just a couple of classes remaining as of July 2024. He trains at the School of Hard Knocks boxing club in nearby Casselberry, the same report notes.
His path from Olympic bronze to the professional ranks has been closely watched by local outlets. USA Boxing's athlete profile confirms Jones as a native of Orlando, Florida, while a Spectrum News 13 report covering his pro debut detailed his Olympic bronze medal performance in Paris. Jones has fought in front of hometown crowds multiple times since turning pro, building a following that promoters are now leaning on for this main-event slot.
Conflicting Records Trace a Fast-Moving Career
Exactly how many professional fights Jones has had depends on which report you read. A March 2026 Spectrum News 13 piece listed his record at 5-0 with four knockouts and described an upcoming bout as his sixth professional fight, while fightmag.com's October preview lists him at 7-0 with four knockouts, and a September preview from theboxingtruth.com describes the Sanchez bout as his eighth professional fight. The discrepancy reflects how quickly Jones has been moved through the ranks since his 2024 Olympic run, but the sources agree he remains unbeaten.
Jones has shown he can go the distance as a professional, having confidently paced himself for eight rounds in each of his last two outings, according to BoxingScene. That progress appears to be continuing with Friday's card.
Second Project Series Card at the Same Orlando Venue
Friday's event marks the second installment of Matchroom's Project Series at Caribe Royale Orlando, following the first edition held at the same venue in August, according to fightmag.com. Orlando has hosted notable cards before; a March 2026 show that included Jones also featured a WBC middleweight championship bout between Carlos Adames and Austin Williams, per Spectrum News 13's report at the time. For Jones, though, Friday represents something different: his first time carrying a card as the headliner, in the city that raised him.
