Oshae Jones is now a world titleholder, and she wants more.
“I want to be the best 154lbs until I become undisputed,” said Jones, a 27-year-old from Ohio who now lives in New Jersey. “I just want more out of boxing. I am never satisfied.”
Jones, 8-0 (3 KOs), won a bronze medal at welterweight in the 2021 Olympics. She earned the IBF junior middleweight title in November by defeating Femke Hermans via a split decision
For her first defense, Jones faces Elia Carranza in a 10-round bout this Friday at The Tabernacle in Atlanta. The bout will stream on DAZN as the co-feature to Elijah Pierce vs. Michael Dasmarinas.
Jones trains in Philadelphia with Rashiem Jefferson, better known as “Coach Rell,” who has put his fighter through rigorous preparation.
“This camp has been one of the hardest camps for me physically and mentally,” Jones said. “This is the first time that the workouts were so hard that I started crying on the bag. He pushed me beyond my limits, and this performance is going to show that.”
Jones has a deep amateur pedigree. Amateur boxing gave her experience that allowed her to win a world title in eight fights. But she had growing pains when it came to mixing her amateur style with a more professional approach.
“I had been an amateur for so long,” Jones said. “I am trying to demolish those ways.”
Jones also admitted that the two-minute rounds in women’s boxing have taken some adjusting.
“In the beginning of my career, the bell would ring, and I would tell myself, that’s it,” Jones said. “I am used to fighting three-minute rounds. I train in four-minute rounds, and when I fight, it is half of that.”
Carranza, 11-1 (3 KOs), enters on a 10-fight win streak. The 34-year-old from Miami defeated the 8-7-2 Natasha Spence by unanimous decision in April.
“She is not coming to lay down, and I don’t think she is a tomato can, but I don’t think she is on my level,” Jones said. “I think she is going to get in there and try to brawl, and I am going to box her and make her look like the person she is.”
