Maryland featherweight Jahmal Harvey, age 19, has been tabbed by many as America’s next great boxer. In November, he became the first American gold medalist at the world amateur championships since Demetrious Andrade in 2007 when he shut out 2020 Kazakhstan Olympian Serik Temirzanov 5-0 in the championship final. “It was great preparation for me in Paris in 2024,” Harvey spoke about his invaluable experience gained at those World Championships. “I was away from home for the first time, two months. I fought in an arena, had a walkout, and fought for the first time without headgear. I think that makes you more defensively sound, because you can see punches coming from your peripheral. All the media attention I received there and afterwards will make me better, too.”
Harvey, of Oxon Hill, Md., had an opportunity to go pro, of course, and receive a lucrative signing bonus, but he is following his dream to be the first American male to capture a gold medal in Olympic boxing since Andre Ward in 2004. “I really want to be an Olympic gold medalist and build my resume,” Harvey explained. “It (Olympics) happens every four years. I’ll probably turn pro after 2024; I’m not sure about 2028, if there’s Olympic boxing, but it would be at home in America (Los Angeles), so I could be persuaded to stay for another cycle.
“It’s always about money. I’m living a stable life right now, but I want to work on my legacy. Getting a name before I turn pro (by winning Olympic gold) with my resume, I’ll make even more when I turn pro and be able to retire faster. I’ll probably fight at 126-130 as a professional.”
Often compared to Terence “Bud” Crawford and the late Aaron Pryor, Harvey figures the top contenders in his weight class for the 2024 Olympics is from the same group he’s fought at the World Championships or the 2022 AMBC Elite (Continentals): Gabriel do Nascimento (Brazil), who defeated (4-1) Harvey (had won first two matches vs. Nascimiento) in the championship final of the 2022 AMBC Elite Tournament, 2020 Olympic #1 seed Mirazizbek Mirzakalilov (Uzbekistan), and the silver and bronze medals winners at last year’s Worlds, respectively, Temirzanov (Kazakhstan) and Samuel Kistohuray (France).
