The Orlando native will face Alan Sanchez in the headliner of Matchroom Boxing’s Project Series 2 card on Friday at Caribe Royale. Their eight-round junior middleweight bout will stream on DAZN.

After fighting on the undercards of Matchroom Boxing cards in his first seven fights, Jones feels more than ready to take the next step in his career.

“I have always been the co-main event, and a lot of the people that were there came out for me,” Jones told The Ring. "For me to actually have the title of the main event is just a dream come true as a kid. That was always a goal and a dream to fight here and headline. … It means everything.”

Jones (7-0, 4 KOs) has felt the love from his hometown throughout his journey, which includes winning a bronze medal for the U.S. in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. His ascent has even drawn the attention of Orlando Magic head coach Sean Sweeney, who touted Jones as one of his favorite fighters to watch.

Jones, 23, was honored before an Orlando City soccer game on September 12 and also had a media workout on Saturday where the Orlando community was able to meet with him. Being involved in the community was something that was instilled in him long before he reached the limelight. After initially taking up karate at four years old, he got into boxing four years later in a program named Dynamic.

That experience has persuaded Jones to try to help kids who are a part of the same programs that he grew up in. Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali’s quote, “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth,” is also at the forefront of Jones’ mind when it comes to giving back to Orlando.

“My parents taught me the importance of giving back to your community,” Jones said. “A quote from Muhammad Ali: he said doing work in your community is your rent here on Earth. I stick with that, and then you see in the gym, the young ones, they’re right behind me. They’re trying to follow in my footsteps, whether that's going to the Olympics or going to the professional ranks. I'm just the person that they look up to show that it's possible [and] that it could be done.”

After beginning his career with four straight knockouts, Jones has gone the distance in his last three fights. He won every round in a unanimous decision over Diego Zuniga in an eight-round bout on the undercard of O’Shaquie Foster's majority decision victory over Ray Ford to retain his WBC 130-pound title in Houston on May 30.

He was originally scheduled to face Sanchez (24-7-1, 10 KOs) before Zuniga replaced him. Sanchez last fought in May 2025 and was stopped by Nicklaus Flaz in the fourth round.

Jones believes the rounds he’s gone in his last three fights were necessary for his development. However, given the stage and opportunity at hand, he hopes he can get back to his knockout ways in his first main event in his hometown.

“It’s going to show my dominance. Of course, the goal is to get the win [and] dominate, but for me to get a stoppage and do that in an impressive fashion against an opponent like this, it'll be amazing. I plan to make a statement. That's what we're gonna do.”

The Gerbasi Corner honors longtime Ring Magazine and boxing contributor Tom Gerbasi, who passed away suddenly on Sept. 15, 2025. A 2024 Nat Fleischer Award winner for excellence in boxing journalism, Gerbasi took particular joy in telling the stories of up-and-coming and unheralded prospects in the sport.