Undefeated middleweight Amari Jones is emerging as one of the division’s top prospects, but he believes many of the bigger names view him as a “high-risk, low-reward” opponent. No matter - Jones is staying active.

On August 30, he and his family’s Lion’s Den Boxing Gym teamed up with Uppercut Promotions to self-promote a show in Oakland, California. The result was Jones stopping Daniel Echeverria in the third round after a punch caused Echeverria’s leg to give out, forcing referee Dan Stell to halt the fight.

Jones, 13-0 (12 KOs), has been featured on various national undercards since turning professional in April 2021. He believes he’s ready to make the jump to contender status, though one challenge remains—finding opponents willing to fight him.

“I am a high risk,” Jones said. “People don’t want to take risks these days and want the easy money.”

The sentiment reflects a broader trend in modern boxing, where fighters often seek winnable bouts. While middleweight titleholders like Erislandy Lara and Janibek Alimkhanuly don’t necessarily follow that philosophy, they’re also not very active, leaving the division stagnant. Fans hope Oakland’s Jones can inject some excitement back into the weight class, which hasn’t seen many high-profile fights in the U.S. recently.

“I’m here for everything,” Jones said. “If it makes dollars, it makes sense.”

At 22, Jones understands that staying active and taking the right fights at the right time will be key to forcing the division’s top names to recognize him. Though he isn’t getting the big fights yet, he’s confident that continued activity and standout performances will make him impossible to ignore.

“Eventually, they’ll have no choice but to fight me and put me on big stages,” Jones said. “I’m all for it. I’m here to bring boxing back to Northern California, to the Bay Area, Oakland. It’s paying off, but there’s still a lot more work to do.”