Jones vs Gamhour Predictions: Defensive chess match or all-out war?

Unbeaten middleweight prospect Amari Jones takes on Sweden’s Shady Gamhour this Saturday, November 8 at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. The bout will serve as part of the undercard for Vergil Ortiz’s WBC interim super welterweight title defence against Erickson Lubin. DAZN will air the card live.

Read on for my Jones vs Gamhour preview.

Jones vs Gamhour Odds

Jones is a huge favourite here at 1/28. Gamhour is the underdog here priced at 12/1. 20/1 is your market for the draw.

Jones vs Gamhour Fight Preview

New Golden Boy Promotions signing Jones feels like a star on the rise. After capturing national titles as an amateur, the Oakland star was still a teenager when he debuted as a pro in 2021. 

The boy hit like a man, racking up three straight first-round knockouts over hapless journeymen to kick off his career. It was not until his eighth fight, against Aussie gatekeeper Tej Pratap Singh, that Jones was taken the distance. 

Jones is coming off his second long night in a 14-fight career, with Lancashire globetrotter Kyle Lomotey making the prospect work for eight rounds last time out. But Jones has passed every test thus far, looking every inch the real deal.

The path of the prospect has changed over the years from sink-or-swim slugfests with bent-nosed old hands to a largely safety-first dynamic. Only a precious few, usually Olympic medalists, jump straight in with the big guns now. But you can only fight what is in front of you and, so far, Jones has ticked every box.

Where does Gamhour rank as a 15th professional opponent for Jones? The standout name on his record is Steve Rolls, a world-ranked middleweight at the time they fought. Rolls won that 2022 battle, but Shady, with the legendary Roy Jones Jr in his corner, gave him fits at times. Some felt the Swede deserved more than a unanimous decision loss on the night.

Gamhour did not build on that performance, losing via majority decision to 6-4 Devontae McDonald. A rematch overturned that reverse, but it does set a worrying precedent. Is Gamhour someone who fights to the occasion, rather than bringing consistent quality to every bout?

In fairness, if Gamhour shines brightest when the big lights are shining, then we could be in for a treat here. At his finest, the 35-year-old is a puzzle for opponents to solve. What do you expect from a fighter coached by Roy freaking Jones? Shady doesn’t throw geometrically impossible pull-counters or shoot hooks from a gamecock stance, but his low-slung approach does have echoes of his illustrious teacher.

But Amari is the only Jones fighting on this card and he presents his own issues for Gamhour. There are echoes of Roy in his namesake’s style, though. The defensive shell is identical in intention if not, yet, execution. Amari pairs his catch-and-shoot countering style with a willingness to open up to the body if his reluctant opponents are not giving him much.

Stylistically, this fight could go either way. I could see a clinch-heavy chess match as each considers their shots. Equally, I could see the mirror-image defences being abandoned and shots flying in. Jones is only 23 and these are the fights you learn in. Take notes, and maybe have a chat with Gamhour’s trainer after.

Jones vs Gamhour Full Card

Vergil Ortiz Jr vs Erickson Lubin

Darius Fulghum vs David Stevens

Robin Sirwan Safar vs Derick Miller Jr

Amari Jones vs Shady Gamhour

Eric Priest vs Esneiker Correa

Figo Ramirez Gonzalez vs Oziel Rangel Aradillas

Joshua Edwards vs Zeno Vooris

Javier Meza vs Joshua Briones Garcia

Samuel Torres vs Ricardo Elizalde

Jones vs Gamhour Prediction

Anything you can do, and all that. This one could come down to who lands the right shot at the right time. Those sort of battles are always a lottery to an extent, but I like the 85% KO ratio of Jones to prevail there.

Gamhour is tidy from a defensive perspective, but lesser men than Jones have found a way through. Which is why I’m tipping Jones for the victory at 1/28.

You can find all our latest boxing betting tips and analysis at our Betfred Insights Boxing page and our latest boxing odds here.