AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 59
Amari “Fresh” Jones is the number one middleweight in U.S.A. Boxing beating a handful of the best up-and-coming fighters in the country.
Knuckle Up with Mike Orr who always discusses knockout artists – on YouTube or LIVE at talkinfight.com/live Weekday’s at 4pm EST #knockout #bestboxers @amandaserrano @serranosisters
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Transcribed:
Hello there boxing fans around the world, thank you for joining us on another episode of knuckle up with mike orr at four we’re gon na have a great day today.
Aren’T we.
This is the start of a new week and to start off the new week we’re having a new guest bonus.
That’S right, uh, amara jones, who we talked about previously who’s about to have his pro debut coming up.
Uh he’s going to join us live from his boxing gym in.
I think it’s california, so uh without any further ado i’ll.
Let you mike take over control and have fun.
Definitely definitely thanks again excellent, how you guys doing how you doing mike good man good.
How are you marie i’m good, i’m good? I see i see you’re in the gym working hard, like always yeah yeah today, my last day before i fly out to atlanta, you fly until then.
So when is the debut fight coming up uh this saturday april this this saturday, nice um? Will it be televised? Can we watch it around the world um? I think it’s gon na be like a link to it.
I should have it posted up in my instagram.
So um definitely okay, awesome fight fans around the world, guys knuckle up fans, i told you we get them on here.
Amari jones.
He reached out to me definitely said he wanted to do this interview and now we got him so guys.
Yes, you asked for it.
We brought it i’m already, thank you again for taking out the time under your busy schedule.
Man.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Awesome awesome um, so you know, let’s just get right into it.
Um recently signed to devon any promotions.
Correct, yes, um just describe that feeling man when you when you got that phone call and was and was asked to you know, sign that um well, you know me and devin uh.
We kind of we kind of like already kind of had this plan.
You know uh.
He was always like a good mentor to me and a good big brother to me.
So, like you know he has emotional company.
He was always telling like yeah.
I want to sign you.
I want to sign you you’re, a good fighter.
He’S always telling like i don’t.
I don’t want to sign, though no no, no uh, no just like he don’t want to sign anybody and stuff right on and now he works.
You hard i’ve seen i’ve heard.
Uh you’ve been doing some sparring with him.
Some pretty heavy-handed sparring with him in the ring yeah me and dennis by the time yeah uh.
I wouldn’t say it’s too much heavy-handed.
We just go in there and work and just work on things.
We need to work on it and stuff like that, but um.
It’S not too much heavy.
We don’t try to go in there and kill each other, but he doesn’t take it easy on you, oh yeah.
It definitely doesn’t take easier, very good, very good.
So what? What age did you start boxing at um? I actually started boxing like in the gym and stuff like that: uh, like i’m gon na, say nine or ten years old.
I thought that’s probably like ten and uh i just was going to the gym and just spawning with the kids in the gym and just working out like that, and then when i was about 14 15 years old, i had my first amateur fight and uh.
I took so long because i was a football player and i always played football and so um.
I never really took boxing seriously, like i said, like the off season and stuff like that, so on the off season, close to the gym and just stay in shape and uh.
Oh, we lost sound, oh [, __ ], oh boo, we lost sound guys.
Sorry we’re gon na try and get it back.
I don’t know what happened there, we’ll check it out.
Uh we’ll get our producers to work on that as uh.
I keep you entertained amari jones, yes, uh, 33 and five.
I believe his amateur record is uh three-time national champ um, i’m not sure.
What’S going on with the sound right now, guys, unfortunately, we’re having a little bit of a technical difficulty, we’ll try and get our producer to fix that up as soon as we can in the meantime, um yeah.
So we’re looking forward to this guy’s wonderful debut this weekend coming, i know, he’s been training hard.
I’Ve been talking to him uh.
You know throughout the weeks here trying to get him on the show, since we profiled him on the episode of knuckle up, um yeah uh, i believe, he’s trained trained right now, i’m working with uh uh.
Here we go.
We got sound back uh, yes guys so uh yeah he’s being trained uh right now by uh mickey bay bill, haney and uh mike mccullough and uh.
They must be transitioning him pretty well he’s looking really good in uh in the ring.
Actually in his sparring sessions.
You have to see him in his pro debut because it’s happening this weekend, guys um i’m looking forward to this event.
I know you guys will be looking forward to this event.
Hopefully we can fix all these technical difficulties and get them back on here.
So we can talk to them a little bit more still, no camera darn! Well, guys there we go, we got camera back.
I don’t know.
If you got sound, can you hear us now? No, no sound! We either get we’re either getting one of the other guys.
I don’t know i don’t know what’s going on, i don’t know if he can hear me well well, while we figure this out i’ll continue to ramble on about uh about marty jones he’s.
Actually, you know he’s right.
He was rated number one.
Oh there we go.
We got some sound back there we go.
I can’t hear you now.
You can hear you now awesome awesome.
I was just telling people about your your wonderful record.
I believe it was 33 and five and as an amateur you said you turned pro at 15 uh.
How do you know you’re 18 years old? Not i didn’t turn frog.
I turned i’m just now to return amateur.
You did your 15 uh your journey pro.
You just turned pro you’re about to have your debut fight, um yeah, so devin haney sparring.
It sparring him in the ring lots of fun tons of fun spartan him in the ring honestly he’s one of my favorite guys to watch.
I’Ve been behind them in haiti for a long time.
So are you? Are you still? Are you still working with uh mickey bay and uh yeah yeah? I love it all those guys every every day, actually uh uh flying out today to my atlanta and then um, i’m flying out tomorrow.
Definitely that’s gon na be awesome um.
So as as you voted for your produce, what are you feeling this time? Are you excited? Are you about to get in the ring and what you can do as a pro uh? I’M definitely i feel right now.
I kind of just feel, like you know, just regular about it um.
You know i really try to put too much pressure on myself about it.
Just you know just overthink it, but i know definitely you know, i’m gon na you know be nervous.
I’Ll get a little jealous a little nervous once the actual day and night before you know, i’m just bracing myself for that.
You know where what um do you see any short-term goals in the next day, six months to a year? What are your short-term goals? Um? Definitely this year i’ll go i wan na.
Do i wan na at least get uh.
I wan na get at least seven fights, seven fight, two seven to eight.
You know hopefully um.
You know the next couple years, probably uh prospect of the year.
You know and then uh you know eventually world champion undisputed and so forth.
That’S it honestly.
I do believe you do have the tools for him and i’ve seen i’ve.
Seen some of your highlight reels man, you, you definitely are a very talented fighter.
Man.
You got speed, you got speed, you got power, you got defense um.
What the! What do you do when you step into the ring and say you’re gon na face an opponent, who’s who’s a little faster than you or a little taller than you? Well, how do you take on an opponent like that? Well, timing beats everything.
So you know it’s all about timing and um.
You got ta, keep them on there.
You got ta, keep them on their toes.
You can’t really fight their game.
That’S how you get a fighter with this beat.
Do you enjoy fighting guys that are taller than you or is it it’s something that you don’t like um? No, i like finding guys that’s taller than me.
I feel i feel like guys just talk like if you’re taller than me, because i’m already about six foot, six, like almost six one, so we’re talking to me, is just like you’re going you’re, most likely gon na be slower than me.
I’M not gon na be as as quick on your feet as me, so i use my advantages.
Okay, so so you were rated you rated an amateur number one at 152 in the u.
s right, yeah yeah, oh so um as you go into the pro you’ll, be fighting.
I guess uh one 147 uh! No, i’m! Actually this fight, i’m going 154 uh.
I wanted to go 47, but i’m just i’m still.
You know, i’m only 18, i’m growing.
You know like every month, and so i didn’t want to go all the way down 147 and you know just be there for like a couple of fights and uh and they have to go up.
I want to go to where i can just build and build.
My build points, rankings and stuff like that right with all this, with all this hard work, you’ve done over the years you know like in your amateur career, and how did you? How did you manage your athletic and your academic abilities like yeah? You know all your school work and stuff like um football.
You know in high school, it’s like that.
In order to play football, you have to maintain a certain gpa average.
So you know with football and stuff like that.
It was just i it’s something you had to do and then, when it came with boxing, you know boxing’s, not a school sport, so you you know, i just did that upon myself.
You know that’s that’s a goal to like if you’re, not, if you don’t graduate to me, i feel like that’s, not uh.
That’S not that’s, not something good.
So i wanted to graduate of course and um, maybe hopefully i’ll go back to go to college and stuff.
Like that so um honestly, like my last my last year, i just i did independent studies but uh yeah.
My senior independent studies was just like home school and then leading up to that.
I was in school every day and you know it’s wonderful, [, __ ] found out my work done and stuff like that.
Definitely so you’re thinking about college dude.
You still want to pursue a college yeah yeah.
I definitely want to um.
I definitely go back to college and you know just take classes that goes with my field, like business, business management um, you know, just you know.
Financial financial, something somewhat money, is something something that you can use well after boxing is over yeah yeah um.
What do you believe has been your biggest challenge so far? What has been your biggest challenge so far that you’ve faced um in your amateur career? You know turning into pro and boxy, i want to say uh i haven’t faced too many challenges really um.
You know uh yeah, i haven’t faced so many challenges.
I can’t even say it like the losses, the losses i do have.
I said those guys beat me with experience.
That’S the only thing i can say like the challenge is like a lack of experience, but you know that only came with time and being around the right people for me to gain the experience i have now right.
Um i heard you i heard you were part of um uh team, no smoke, yeah yeah.
That was that was something we had.
You know in the bay area and there’s something we used to stick together and stuff like that.
Just you know: keep they keep the bay area together.
Yeah, as you know, the other real estate community kind of thing, yeah um.
Do you still you still in contact with those guys, yeah yeah everything every day my boy, steve, uh, he’s actually fighting in nationals today.
Um and then dominic reid, he’s fighting in the nationals.
Yeah sativa she’s she’s number one female um.
We got some younger cats too damian dammit, flores lopez got a whole bunch of guys list goes on.
That’S an awesome thing man! I i like, like that tight-knit community thing, that you guys think it’s really good um.
You know what um run us through like a daily routine as as you’re coming up to you know like this fight.
You know what time do you start your days? What’S your day, look like um! Well, you know it varies.
You know uh, you know.
Usually i i’ll go uh.
I wake up, probably around yeah.
I want to say 9 30 10 o’clock or something i train.
I go training at 11.
eleven, some some days.
One o’clock some days conditioning i do sending additional monday wednesdays fridays, sometimes saturdays, and i do that uh around, like you know, seven seven o’clock or something like that: yeah uh and then i do my sparring stuff tuesdays thursdays.
You know sometimes saturday’s depending on like losing like who i want to work with or whatever and then um i get my runs in that night.
I like the vegas.
I don’t know why, but i like running at night cooler.
It’S probably the weather is cool right.
Now it’s it’s, it’s um, it’s! Actually, it’s actually cool all day.
You know it’s still kind of down [ Music ].
How much how many miles you run, uh on a regular run? Four, but sometimes i switch it up and run three.
It exits all depends now with that date with that daily, routine uh.
Is there like an eating regimen like a like a dietary plan that you follow as well when you’re getting ready, i would say i would say like like i don’t.
I don’t feel like a certain dietary planner like no preparation, [, Music, ] vegetables in it or just be some oatmeal, some toast and then like at night i’ll eat like um.
You know some some proteins and vegetables like that.
Not too many carbs i’ll just stay off the carbs man.
I can’t i got ta stay off the curbs.
Oh so um do you? Do you remember? Do you remember the first time you got in the ring? Uh like your first, you first hammered your belt.
You know described it.
You described that feeling the first time you got in there and that first first time it was like honestly, i felt like um.
I felt like i was like acting in like a play or something you know how you go.
I don’t know if you’re acting to play but like um, even though like this, you know how all the lights is on you on the stage right right, like you, try to look into the crowd and it’s like dark like that’s how it was like.
I would.
I got i’m not getting, i got in the ring and then like my coach, even though he was right there.
I couldn’t even hear him like you know.
Everything in the crowd was just like.
It was just like like surreal, it’s surreal and silent.
Just you weren’t hearing anything and you’re, just yeah, that’s just where you’re fighting yeah! That’S that’s! That’S an awesome feeling.
You know not not everybody out.
There can feel that kind of feeling like it’s something.
That’S just you know, and then you get bit by that bug and you know who who, who were some of your influence to actually start competing.
As a boxer, you said what who were some of your influence that got you into the ring to start boxing um.
Some of my influences uh sometime, i started fighting or just just start who like who who’s like behind who’s behind, pushing you into the ring who influences my godfather my godfather, put me into boxing and put me into um.
I took him to the gym.
The first time and stuff like that he’s awesome, great [, Music ] will hey coach.
You play music, you play music, doing i like the music anyway, it was.
It was dope track.
Still it was a nice track um.
So, as your fight’s coming out, i’m not going to keep you too much longer.
I know what’s going on um, so do you still do you still do any other activities outside of the gym? Like uh, you know you still place on any kind of sports other than boxing or you just know right now i just strictly boxing, you know um.
I i, as far as activities like what do you mean like um like do i like, hang out anything yeah, anything like that yeah yeah.
Of course you know i uh i actually stay in vegas and i live in vegas now or something i trade on here.
So you know whenever i’m not training or i got free time, i like to go back home and go visit.
My family stuff, like that, i take it’s like an hour flight, so um take a flight back home and stuff like that.
How was the transition? You know to las vegas and um.
It was it’s actually fine, it’s not too far from home.
So i want to say it’s about like a seven hour drive but like an hour fight.
So it’s not so far from home and i guess – and i guess, since you’re training all the time anyway, you know yeah.
I don’t really got time.
Definitely um! Oh! So what team? What team like? What team or gym are you training with right now uh right now, uh, i train here at this gym called real boxing and i train at uh.
Sometimes i say that bones items um i trained with devin.
You know the whole devastating team right bill: haney uh, mickey bay, kevin cunningham, um coach will [ Music ] um who’s, your favorite boxer right now, um.
I heard a boxer uh david devin eh.
Now, if you could, if you could have a dream fight today, who who would it be in in your weight class that you would fade dream fight? Um, that’s excellent! That’S excellent! You know what great fighters great fighters honestly, i believe i believe, it’ll be a great match.
Man, you, you have the skill set to uh to step in this ring, and you know what you’re young and you still have.
You know you have lots of years left in this game and you have a lot of years left to prove yourself and uh you’re only going to go off from here really um.
What uh! What separate? What do you think separates you from every other fighter? In your division, you say what what what do you think separates you from the other fighters in your division? Um? What separates? What separates me is that uh, i’m young and like uh and my experience, i have a good, have a lot of experience, but i also i also don’t have that much experience to where i’m still open to learning and i’m still, i still have a large room To learn – and i’m already at the top of the i wouldn’t say the top of the game, but i did i did a lot with as much as i know so.
Imagine when i start learning getting more experience.
It’S like it’s going to be impossible, really yeah.
So you’ve done you’ve done tremendously, with the tools that you have and yeah yeah.
No, no, no you’re, just you’re you’re, starting to open up your repertoire to new tools and with these new tools, you’re, just going to be able to just you know, unleash the fury of i’m already press jones right.
That’S where we’re going to see yo! I can’t i can’t wait eric yeah eric’s eric’s, our producer, okay.
He said how about any boxer, prime for prime for prime, there you go how about any boxer, prime for prime um like like what do you mean by that in their prime any boxer in their prime? Oh, that i want to fight what eh you think.
You think you give him a nice run for his money.
Yeah, that’s awesome! That was definitely pretty worth.
It that’d be a definite good fight um.
So when you’re done, when you’re done and you’re ready to hang up these, you know hang up your gloves and your fingers.
What do you want to be remembered for in the sport um for doing everything i want to be a member? For you know, i don’t want nobody to say that you know i dug anybody.
I don’t want nobody to say that i should have been there.
So i couldn’t do that.
You know everything i possibly can in the sport move up the weight class.
You know get a whole bunch of world titles and different weight classes, fight all the champions and just do everything i don’t want.
I don’t know no no room for for any type of backdrop.
Just let just just do it leave it out there and let nobody be able to say anything about it and go down in the history books as the best yeah definitely fight fans around the world.
You heard that here first man amari fresh jones.
I know i know thank you for taking your time out.
Let’S get into that time, um i’m going to let you get back to your training.
Definitely we’ll be watching you this saturday, when you fight you’re, going to try and find out, definitely send me the game.
I appreciate you guys yeah man we’re definitely going to want to get you on after your first fight too.
Okay.
Yeah.
Definitely don’t want to talk about that uh.
So, in the meantime, we’ll get let you get back to training fight fans out there watching around the world amari fresh jones, making his pro debut this weekend make sure you check that out.
Try to find it anywhere hit me on my instagram i’ll definitely have the link for it.
I’M already send it to me for sure.
Okay, thank you for coming on man.
Thank you.
We appreciate it thanks for reaching out that’s my word for nutclub guys, and i will see you tomorrow for a wonderful show.
Good luck! Thank you appreciate it.
Thank you.
Brother
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