John O'Donnell (boxer) facts for kids

John O'Donnell, born on November 13, 1985, is a professional boxer from Ireland. He lives in London. He used to be the champion in the Commonwealth welterweight division. A welterweight is a boxer who weighs between 140 and 147 pounds (about 63.5 to 66.7 kg). He fights using a southpaw style, which means he leads with his right hand and foot.

John O'Donnell's Boxing Journey

Starting His Boxing Career

John O'Donnell began his professional boxing career in April 2004. His first fight was in Bradford, England, where he won against Jason Nesbitt. For the next three years, he fought 13 more times and won every single match. He was undefeated!

In May 2007, John got the chance to fight for the English welterweight title. He faced another undefeated boxer, Stuart Elwell. John won the fight after 10 rounds, becoming the English champion.

After this big win, John traveled to Las Vegas in May 2007. He was set to fight Christian Solano from Mexico. This fight was on the same night as a very famous match between Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya. Sadly, John lost his fight in the second round. This loss was very tough for him. He took a whole year off from boxing.

John returned to the ring in May 2008, winning against Billy Smith. He won four more fights that year. These wins helped him get ready for a chance at a bigger title in 2009.

Becoming a Commonwealth Champion

On April 11, 2009, John O'Donnell got his first shot at a major title: the Commonwealth welterweight championship. He fought against the champion, Craig Watson. Craig had already defended his title once.

It was a very close and exciting fight. John won by a split decision, which means the judges had different opinions, but most of them thought John won. This victory showed that John was now one of the top boxers in his weight class.

John was supposed to defend his new title on September 5, 2009. However, he had trouble making the correct weight for the fight. So, it became a non-title match against Tom Glover. John won this fight by a technical knockout (TKO) in the sixth round. A TKO happens when the referee stops the fight because one boxer can't continue safely.

John later gave up his Commonwealth title. He was under pressure to defend it against Philip Kotey from Ghana, but the fight didn't happen. On May 7, 2010, he fought Laszlo Balogh from Hungary and won. After that fight, John said he wanted to challenge Paul McCloskey for the European title.

On September 10, 2010, John fought Terrance Cauthen from the USA. Terrance had won an Olympic bronze medal. John won the fight after 12 rounds. He said that Terrance was the best boxer he had ever faced. John explained that he gave up his Commonwealth belt because his team wanted him to move on to bigger challenges.

British Title Challenge

On February 19, 2011, John O'Donnell fought Craig Watson again. This time, they were fighting for the vacant British welterweight title at the Wembley Arena. Craig Watson got his revenge and won the fight after 12 rounds.

John O'Donnell's Boxing Record

John O'Donnell has had a long and successful career in boxing. He has fought many times and won most of his matches.

• Total Fights: 36
• Wins: 33 (11 by knockout)
• Losses: 3
• Draws: 0

He has won important titles like the English Welterweight title and the Commonwealth Welterweight title. He has also won the Commonwealth English Welterweight title and the Commonwealth Southern Area Welterweight title more recently.