More recently, Jones dispatched Raul Munoz in two rounds at the South Philly Arena on June 25.
At 5-foot-11 and slim - 147 pounds is the weight limit in his division - Jones hardly looks the part of a knockout artist.
"Punching power is natural," said Jones, who has a tentative date to fight in Atlantic City in September. "You could be ripped up and all muscles and not have any punching power. It's genetics. I've always been skinny, and I had it when I was a kid. I took it to the gym to make something of it, instead of into the streets."
Where Jones took his weapons was to Joe Frazier's Gym.
"Joe taught sitting down on your punches and throw power shots," said Jones' manager, Doc Nowicki of Cherry Hill.
Frazier began working with Jones when the teenager was 15.
"Smoke himself told me I was strong," Jones said. "They just threw me in with the wolves, and I did pretty well."
After an amateur career of more than 70 fights and a state Golden Gloves title, Jones went to Nowicki when he decided to turn pro in 2005. Nowicki, who was also working with other fighters, decided to back Jones after watching him spar.
"We didn't know anything about Mike," the 64-year-old Nowicki said about himself and his partner, 74-year-old Jimmy Williams. "As soon as we saw him, we said, 'Hey, this guy has some potential.' "
After leaving Joe Frazier's Gym to train under Vaughn Jackson at Joe Hand Boxing Gym, Jones said he began to learn how to box.
"We knew always knew he could punch, but we didn't know his skills would develop the way they have," Nowicki said.
Jones, who holds the minor North American Boxing Association and North American Boxing Organization titles, has yet to get a shot at one of the major belts. But he is a the No. 1 contender in the WBO, where Manny Pacquiao reigns.
Ring magazine, which lists the linear champions in each division, has Jones slotted at seventh. The IBF rankings have Jones at 11th, and the WBC has him fourth.
