VILLEPINTE, France — Orlando native Omari Jones on Wednesday advanced to the quarterfinals of the Olympic boxing competition.
Jones, 21, defeated Kan Chia Wei of Taiwan 5-0 in the 71-kilogram Round of 16 at the Arena Paris Nord in Villepinte, France, which is about an hour outside Paris.
His next match will be Saturday against Bulgaria's Rami Mofid Kiwan, who defeated Shannan Davey of Australia 5-0.
The Edgewater High School alumnus is one of two American men remaining in the boxing competition.
Jones qualified for the Olympics after winning four consecutive fights, including a 4-1 decision against Nishant Dev in the 71-kilogram division at the 2024 Olympic Games World Qualifying Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy. Jones also won gold medals in the 2023 GeeBee International Tournament in Helsinki, Finland, and the Czech Republic Grand Prix and took the silver medal at the 2021 Elite World Championship in Belgrade, Serbia.
He has split his time between his home in Orlando and his home for training in Colorado Springs, Colo.
No American has won an Olympic gold medal in boxing since Andre Ward at the 2004 Games in Athens, Greece.