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© Tom Casino / Showtime Boxing
Once-beaten John O’Donnell, one of the top welterweight prospects in the UK, weighed in at 146.9 pounds and 1996 U.S. Olympic bronze medallist Terrence “Heat” Cauthen tipped the scales at 147.1 pounds during Thursday’s weigh in at the historic York Hall in London, England.
The two will square off in the 12-round welterweight main event on ShoBox: The New Generation today on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/PT, same-day delay, from York Hall in London, England.
Undefeated heavyweight knockout artist Tyson Fury measured 263 pounds and unbeaten American Rich Power weighed in at 221.5 pounds for the eight-round heavyweight co-feature.
Britain’s John O’Donnell and Tyson Fury are not yet household names in the United States, but exposure in America may be all that the talented fighters are lacking.
O’Donnell (23-1, 11 KOs), of Shepherd’s Bush, Great Britain and Galway, Ireland, will face one of his toughest tests to date in Cauthen (35-6, 9 KOs), of Trenton, N.J., while Fury (11-0, 9 KOs), a 6-foot-9 heavy hitter from Manchester, England, will face his first unbeaten opponent in Power (12-0, 9 KOs), of San Diego, Calif.
Promoter Mick Hennessy kicked off the press conference/weigh in by expressing his excitement in having SHOWTIME travel across the Atlantic Ocean: “I’m very proud to have Showtime here in London because its recipe for boxing is second to none, especially with ShoBox.”
What the fighters had to say on Thursday:
John O’Donnell:
On fighting for an American TV audience: “Last time I was in America it didn’t go quite well as I suffered my first and only loss. I need to show the Americans what I’m really made of.”
“With a win against Cauthen, I believe that I’m not far away from moving up to top-level competition.”
Terrance Cauthen:
“When I took the fight, I knew that O’Donnell was a good up-and-coming fighter. This is going to be a good fight. For slick southpaws like John and myself, it’s tough for us to find fights. People don’t want to fight us. Tomorrow night you are going to get two of them, but I need to get the win.”
Tyson Fury:
“Tomorrow is my time to shine, so I hope Power has trained hard. I’m dead serious about boxing. I go in there and destroy. My Mr. Nice Guy persona is gone once I enter the ring.”
Rich Power:
On putting his undefeated record on the line: “People are too concerned with undefeated records. I don’t care about it. I just wanted to take the fight and grow. Even on five days notice, I’m still ready to bang. It’s good to just get in there and punch somebody in the face.”
On taking the fight on short notice: “There are lots people who expect me to lose. I mean, he’s got a 10-inch reach (advantage) on me. What the hell am I going to do? Sit on the other side of the ring and let him punch me? No, I’m going to get in there and let my hands go. We’re both big, strong guys. Either of us could land a knockout punch.”
