His participation in the final was met with controversy when he lost a 3–2 decision to South Korean fighter Park Si-Hun despite pummeling Park for three rounds, landing 86 punches to Park's 32. He dominated his opponents, never losing a single round en route to the final. Jones represented the United States at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, where he won the silver medal.

As an amateur, he ended his career with a 121–13 record. Jones won the 1984 United States National Junior Olympics in the 119 lb (54 kg) weight division, the 1986 United States National Golden Gloves in the 139 lb (63 kg) division and the 1987 United States National Golden Gloves in the 156 lb (71 kg) division.