Error code: %{errorCode}
The four Olympians aiming to steal the show on Matchroom's Florida card
Lenier Pero and Jordan Thompson will go to war in Florida tonight in a heavyweight bout that promises fireworks from the two knockout artists.
Pero is a former Cuban Olympian and brings an impressive amateur pedigree into his fight against Thompson, who will make his heavyweight debut after suffering defeat at the hands of Jai Opetaia in his final fight as a cruiserweight.
But Pero is not the only fighter bringing Olympic experience with him; three other fighters on the card have represented their nation in the biggest and most historic amateur boxing tournament in the world.
So who are the four Olympians hoping to impress in the US?
Matchroom Boxing
Lenier Pero
Pero, 12-0 (8), was a standout amateur for Cuba, winning a youth Olympic and two Pan American Games gold medals before representing his nation at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
His younger brother Danier, who is now also a ranked heavyweight contender, competed at the 2020 Games.
Pero did not find the success that Cuba has become so famous for at the Olympics. But he did beat another ranked heavyweight, Guido Vianello, in the round of 16 to book himself a spot in the quarter-finals to fight for a guaranteed medal.
The Cuban unfortunately fell short against one of the best heavyweights in the world right now, Filip Hrgovic, to miss out on a medal.
Due to the complex situation surrounding Cuba and the prohibition of professional boxing, Pero was not able to turn over until 2019.
Pero’s professional career has been marked by clear potential, but a lack of momentum and activity has meant that he has only fought 12 times in six years, excluding tonight.
He fought three times in 2019, but only once in 2020 and 2021, no doubt hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2022, he has been having his best years so far, knocking out all but two of his opponents and earning himself the third spot in the WBA world heavyweight rankings.
In his last fight, his five-fight knockout streak was brought to an end when he beat Detrailous Webster on points.
KEVIN VAN PAASSEN/AFP via Getty Images
Omari Jones
Jones, 3-0 (3), was the sole medallist for the United States at the 2024 Paris Games, to put a silver lining on one of the US’s worst years in Olympic history for boxing.
Preceding the Olympics, Jones, competing as a welterweight, won a silver medal at the World Championships in 2021 before heading over to France.
Jones fought all the way to the semi-finals in the 71kg category to automatically earn him at least a bronze medal, but fell short to the reigning world champion and eventual gold medallist Asadkhuja Mydinkhujaev.
The American had ambitions of returning to claim a gold medal at the 2028 Olympics, but revealed he was convinced to turn over by Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn in Paris, targeting a world title by the time the Games will take place.
“It just showed that Eddie wanted me to be a part of Matchroom more than anybody else,” Jones told The Ring. “I believe they can make me a superstar. I have a great work ethic. We're going to go to great places, with the way I act, the way I carry myself. With all of those attributes together, I can be the next superstar.
“With the mission and the plan we have in place, I believe that I'll be getting to where I want to be in no time. I believe so [that I can be a world champion by 2028]. I believe it can happen sooner than that as well.”
Jones has already fought three times in his rookie year and knocked out all three opponents he has been put in with, giving credence to his claim that he is world title calibre.
He doesn’t look fully settled into a division, weighing 150lbs in all of his previous fights, so it remains to be seen if he will choose to compete at welterweight or super welterweight moving forward.
At 6’ 2”, it would be no surprise to see him chase world title honours at 154lbs as he takes on Yusuph Metu next, who is a career super welterweight and is Jones’ fourth consecutive opponent with a winning record.
Ben McShane/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Nishant Dev
Dev, 3-0 (2), has plans of becoming India’s first professional boxing world champion and has an impressive amateur record to stand up to these claims.
The Indian took up boxing in 2012, inspired by his uncle, who was also a professional boxer and 12 years later found himself representing India at the 2024 Olympics, sharing a weight class, 71kg, with Jones.
Dev made a promising start, winning his first round fixture before losing a controversial split decision to the eventual silver medallist Marco Verde to miss out on becoming only the fourth Indian to claim an Olympic medal.
Another addition to Matchroom’s Olympic collection, Dev had his professional debut in January of this year, knocking out Alton Wiggins in the first round, followed up by a shutout victory over Josue Silva in June.
He claimed his second stoppage in his last outing, forcing the referee to halt the contest as he overwhelmed his opponent.
Dev is now faced with Juan Carlos Medina, who is something of a novice himself, but it will be the perfect opportunity for the Indian to display his elite-level skillset alongside his fellow Olympic graduates.
Pat Brown
Brown, 4-0 (4), has burst onto the UK scene, putting on explosive and crowd-pleasing performances, perhaps with a chip on his shoulder from the Olympics.
The Greater Manchester native had two national titles to his name before being selected to represent Great Britain at the 2024 Olympics, and whilst not possessing the international success of other contenders, had earned his way in through the qualification tournament – proving he had the potential to find success at the Games.
Brown came up against a World Championship silver medallist in his first fight and suffered an agonising defeat to bring an end to his Olympic dream.
With the motivation to prove to others and himself that he was a serious threat in the cruiserweight division, Brown turned over almost immediately with Matchroom and trains alongside heavyweight cult hero Dave Allen, with whom he shares a close friendship.
His most challenging fight thus far was his debut, being pushed to the fourth round before stopping Federico Javier Grandone.
Since then, Brown has not seen the end of the second round, knocking out Ivan Duka in the second round, Lewis Oakford in the first and Austine Nnamdi in the second.
Brown will now take a big step up in opposition in the hopes of announcing himself to the US fans. He will face Felix Valera, 24-8 (21), who has shared the ring with some world-level cruiserweights, including WBC interim champion, Michael Cieslak and highly ranked contender, Aleksei Papin.
Carl Recine/Getty Images
Watch Pero vs. Thompson live on DAZN
Lenier Pero vs. Jordan Thompson is live on DAZN tonight, November 1. Watch the fight and whole card with a DAZN subscription.
Annual and monthly options available, click here for pricing and options.
