Almatbouli, a 26-year-old light heavyweight who lives in the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqa'a, thumped Nigeria's Lukmon Lawal by 19 points to 7 to the delight of some 20 team mates and officials whose cheers and chants drowned out the packed arena.
The shaven headed fighter said back in Baqa'a, 20 kilometres north of Jordan's capital Amman and home to some 80,000 people, those who usually crowd into cafes to watch football matches will have watched his fight instead and he was happy to make them proud.
"It's a great honour to represent my country at the Olympics, an incredible feeling and god willing I'm going to progress in the next round," Almatbouli, who dedicated his win to the King of Jordan, said.
"Hopefully with a good fight and good progress, I am going to be a role model."
Jordan is represented at the Games by nine athletes including sprinter Rima Taha, better known in her home country for appearing in the Arab version of the popular television show 'Gladiators'.
Almatbouli responded to his noisy support by putting on a real show, particularly in the third round where he forced the referee to call a standing eight count.
Then, in a rare moment when Lawal put him under pressure, the Jordanian simply danced out of the way of his punches with Muhammad Ali-style nonchalance.
It was a far cry from the 2007 world championships when he collapsed in his corner after a fight and was only revived one minute later. Almatbouli, whose five brothers are also boxers, said he was simply never prepared to give up.
"After the difficult life I've had, with all the difficulties I never stopped sport, I always continued non stop," said Almatbouli who next faces world amateur champion and top seed Julio la Cruz Peraza of Cuba on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Afghan boxer Ajmal Faisal did not think he would make it to the London Olympics - his training sessions were prohibitively expensive and more often than not restricted by Taliban or political party opposition.
Yet on Monday Faisal became Afghanistan's sole representative at the boxing arena and only its second Games fighter since US forces began bombing the country in retaliation against its Taliban rulers' refusal to hand over the al Qaeda leaders responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The 21-year-old flyweight, who lives outside Kabul and when he was able to, would have to pay 80 to 90 Afghani rupees to train in the city, put his participation down to a pre-Olympic training camp in Cardiff for boxers from developing and underprivileged countries.
"Restrictions are imposed because of political opposition and the Taliban," Faisal said through a translator minutes after losing his first round bout to France's Nordine Oubaali.
"I didn't have enough facilities and was paying for my own equipment and training ... we were not allowed to train as free as we'd like to.
"The training that was held in Cardiff enabled me to compete and last for three rounds against a very tough opponent."
Along with 63 boxers from the likes of Burkina Faso, Bahamas and Bosnia, Faisal spent two months on the 'Road to London' camp where his flights, accommodation and equipment were paid for by the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
Fighting in possibly the most competitive weight category on Monday however, the Afghan national champion was still no match for former world amateur bronze medallist Oubaali whose nifty footwork and rapid fire combinations delivered a 22-9 victory.
Oubaali, one of 18 children in a family packed full of boxers, faces American third seed Raushee Warren in Friday's second round.
