John O'Donnell (boxer)
Encyclopedia
John O'Donnell is a London
based Irish
professional boxer
who is a former holder of the Commonwealth welterweight championship.
. Over the next three years he would fight 13 more times without defeat against a series of journeymen opponents before earning the right to fight for the English title in May 2007. His opponent for the vacant English belt was fellow unbeaten prospect Stuart Elwell
. The fight ended with a 10 round points victory for O'Donnell. Following his win over Elwell, O'Donnell next travelled to Las Vegas
in May 2007 to fight Mexican Christian Solano on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather's fight with Oscar De La Hoya
. The bout ended with disappointment for the 15-0 prospect after the fight was stopped in the 2nd round giving victory to the Mexican
. Such was the devastating nature of the defeat, O'Donnell took a year off from boxing and only returned in May 2008 with a win over journeyman
Billy Smith. Four more victories followed in 2008 before being given the chance to fight for the Commonwealth title in 2009.
, had himself claimed the title with a win over Namibian Ali Nuumbembe and made one defence against Matthew Hatton
, the brother of Ricky. It was a step up in class for O'Donnell and he signaled his entry into the top tier of domestic boxing with victory over Watson via a split decision
in what was described as a close and scintillating contest. O'Donnell had been due to make the first defence of his newly won title on 5 September 2009 but due to problems making the weight had to settle for a non-title contest over 12 rounds against Tom Glover. The fight, shown live on ITV4
, was too much of a step up for Glover who was stopped in the 6th round with O'Donnell having taken full control. O'Donnell gave up the belt after coming under pressure from the Commonwealth council after a mandatory defence scheduled for 5 March 2010 against the Ghanaian boxer Philip Kotey fell through. On 7 May 2010 he stepped back into the ring to defeat Hungarian boxer Laszlo Balogh in the 5th round of an 8 round contest stating after the fight that he would like to meet Paul McCloskey
in an all Irish contest for the European title. On 10 September 2010 O'Donnell fought the American former Olympic bronze medal winner Terrance Cauthen
in an international contest at the York Hall
. Winning the fight over 12 rounds O'Donnell claimed that Cauthen was the best boxer he had ever faced and that the reason why he gave up his Commonwealth belt was "because my team did not want that belt to hold me back, so I could go onto the next level".
at the Wembley Arena to challenge for the vacant British title only for Watson to gain revenge by winning over 12 rounds.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
based Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
professional boxer
Professional Boxing
Professional boxing, or prizefighting, emerged in the early twentieth century as boxing gradually attained legitimacy and became a regulated, sanctioned sport. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse which is divided among the fighters and promoters as determined by contract...
who is a former holder of the Commonwealth welterweight championship.
Early professional career
O'Donnell, had his first professional in April 2004 with a win over journeyman Jason Nesbitt at the Penningtons Nightclub in BradfordBradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
. Over the next three years he would fight 13 more times without defeat against a series of journeymen opponents before earning the right to fight for the English title in May 2007. His opponent for the vacant English belt was fellow unbeaten prospect Stuart Elwell
Stuart Elwell
Stuart Elwell is a professional boxer from Darlaston in the Black Country, England.He became a professional boxer in the year 2000. His first fight was against Ernie Smith at Wolverhampton Civic Hall, which he won on points. His professional record currently stands at 12 wins out of 16 fights...
. The fight ended with a 10 round points victory for O'Donnell. Following his win over Elwell, O'Donnell next travelled to Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
in May 2007 to fight Mexican Christian Solano on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather's fight with Oscar De La Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
. The bout ended with disappointment for the 15-0 prospect after the fight was stopped in the 2nd round giving victory to the Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
. Such was the devastating nature of the defeat, O'Donnell took a year off from boxing and only returned in May 2008 with a win over journeyman
Journeyman (boxing)
A journeyman boxer is defined as a fighter who has adequate boxing skill, but does not have the caliber of a contender or gatekeeper. Outside of boxing, a "journeyman" is a trader or crafter who has completed an apprenticeship, but is not at the level of a master craftsman...
Billy Smith. Four more victories followed in 2008 before being given the chance to fight for the Commonwealth title in 2009.
Commonwealth champion
O'Donnell's shot at a first major title came on 11 April 2009. In the opposite corner, the champion Craig WatsonCraig Watson (boxer)
Craig Watson is an English boxer who has fought in the light welterweight, welterweight and light middlweight divisions...
, had himself claimed the title with a win over Namibian Ali Nuumbembe and made one defence against Matthew Hatton
Matthew Hatton
Matthew James Hatton , is a professional boxer, using the nickname "Magic". He is a welterweight, and is a former Commonwealth and World title challenger and the current European Champion....
, the brother of Ricky. It was a step up in class for O'Donnell and he signaled his entry into the top tier of domestic boxing with victory over Watson via a split decision
Split decision
A split decision is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and others sports involving striking in which two of the three judges score for the same fighter as the winner, while the third judge scores for the other...
in what was described as a close and scintillating contest. O'Donnell had been due to make the first defence of his newly won title on 5 September 2009 but due to problems making the weight had to settle for a non-title contest over 12 rounds against Tom Glover. The fight, shown live on ITV4
ITV4
ITV4 is a British television station which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action...
, was too much of a step up for Glover who was stopped in the 6th round with O'Donnell having taken full control. O'Donnell gave up the belt after coming under pressure from the Commonwealth council after a mandatory defence scheduled for 5 March 2010 against the Ghanaian boxer Philip Kotey fell through. On 7 May 2010 he stepped back into the ring to defeat Hungarian boxer Laszlo Balogh in the 5th round of an 8 round contest stating after the fight that he would like to meet Paul McCloskey
Paul McCloskey
Paul McCloskey is an Irish southpaw professional boxer who fights in the light welterweight division....
in an all Irish contest for the European title. On 10 September 2010 O'Donnell fought the American former Olympic bronze medal winner Terrance Cauthen
Terrance Cauthen
Terrance Davin Cauthen is an American boxer. Nicknamed "Heat", Cauthen won the Lightweight Bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics.Cauthen grew up in Trenton, New Jersey and trained in Philadelphia....
in an international contest at the York Hall
York Hall
The York Hall is a health and leisure centre and one of Britain's best known boxing venues.The venue is situated on Old Ford Road in Bethnal Green, London, England. The hall, opened in 1929 with a capacity of 1,200, stages boxing as well as providing a gymnasium and swimming pool.The hall is owned...
. Winning the fight over 12 rounds O'Donnell claimed that Cauthen was the best boxer he had ever faced and that the reason why he gave up his Commonwealth belt was "because my team did not want that belt to hold me back, so I could go onto the next level".
British title challenge
On 19 February 2011 O'Donnell met former victim Craig WatsonCraig Watson (boxer)
Craig Watson is an English boxer who has fought in the light welterweight, welterweight and light middlweight divisions...
at the Wembley Arena to challenge for the vacant British title only for Watson to gain revenge by winning over 12 rounds.