Omari Jones was one of eight Americans who represented the United States in the 2024 Olympics and the only one who won a medal, notching a bronze medal in the welterweight (71 kg) division.

For a while, it appeared that Jones would be an answer to a trivia question as the last American boxer to win any kind of medal in the Olympics.

Olympic boxing was on the ropes for a while, but the sport was officially reinstated back into the program for 2028 Summer Games after the IOC unanimously voted for its inclusion on March 20.

“It makes me feel amazing. I'm glad my sport is back after talks of it being gone,” Jones (1-0, 1 KO) told The Ring in an interview ahead of his second pro bout Saturday on the undercard of the welterweight title unification fight between Jaron Ennis and Eimantas Stanionis in Atlantic City on DAZN.

“Boxing has been around since the beginnings of the Olympics, and for it to be taken out, it would have been disrespectful to the sport. I'm glad for my USA teammates as well, and athletes from all over the world, to go after their dreams.”

The Olympics embody Jones’ ethos; he penned the book “The Journey of an Olympian” in January. The 22-year-old Orlando native even contemplated another Olympics run before signing a promotional deal with Matchroom Boxing to chase his new set of dreams, which is to become a world champion by 2028.

After kicking off his pro career with a second knockout win last month, Jones is now handing the baton to his amateur teammates, noting that Robby Rahim Gonzales, Jahmal Harvey, Jajaira Gonzalez, Morelle McCane, and Jennifer Lozano are the American fighters to keep an eye on for the 2028 games.

“Hopefully, they qualify to punch their tickets in to get the gold medals,” said Jones. “It was the best moment of my life to see myself on the podium, to live out the dream that I wrote down and prayed about for a long time. Right now, nothing has topped that moment, and I am just proud that I was able to represent my country.”