Terrance Cauthen will step in
Junior middleweight prospect Demetrius Andrade, the former amateur world champion and 2008 U.S. Olympian, will have to adjust to a new opponent on four days' notice.
Andrade was supposed to face Derek "Pooh" Ennis (23-3-1, 13 KOs) in the scheduled 10-round main event of this week's "Friday Night Fights" card (ESPN2/ESPN.com, 9 ET) at the Mohegan Sun resort in Uncasville, Conn. However, Star Boxing informed ESPN on Tuesday that Ennis had withdrawn due to a 103-degree fever.
Rafael's Boxing Blog
Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog.
Matchmaker Ron Katz of Star Boxing, which co-promotes Andrade with Banner Promotions, worked quickly and replaced Ennis later Tuesday with Terrance Cauthen, a 1996 U.S. Olympic bronze medalist.
"I'm lucky to get a guy with the pedigree of Cauthen on such short notice," Katz said. "It's not often you'll see two former Olympians fighting each other."
Cauthen (36-7, 9 KOs), a southpaw from Trenton, N.J., was available and near weight because he had been training for a fight on Jan. 21 on a card in New Jersey. However, Cauthen's opponent dropped out at the last minute and he did not fight.
Andrade (15-0, 10 KOs), 23, of Providence, R.I., had been training to face a right-hander in Ennis, so facing Cauthen presents a new look for him.
"He's not happy because he trained six weeks for a right-hander and now he is faced with a completely different style," Katz said. "But being the type of kid he is, he is stepping up to the plate. Some fighters can be a wuss about it, but he said if it's what he has to do, it's what he has to do."
Junior welterweight prospect Raymond Serrano (17-0, 8 KOs), 22, of Philadelphia squares off with Kenny Abril (11-4-1, 6 KOs), 27, of Rochester, N.Y., in the scheduled 10-round co-feature.
Dan Rafael is a boxing writer for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter @danrafaelespn.
- ESPN.com boxing writer since 2005
- Writes pound-for-pound rankings
- Five years at USA Today
SPONSORED HEADLINES
MORE BOXING HEADLINES
- Promoter postpones London card until July 20
- Cotto targeting Sept. 28 for possible return
- Andrade to have 1st world title shot on July 6
- Alexander was fighting with broken hand
MOST SENT STORIES ON ESPN.COM
EDITORS' PICKS
- Eyes Wide Open
- Is Hopkins headed toward a future meeting with Froch? Dan Rafael »
- Moving Forward
- Delvin Rodriguez has designs on another title shot. FNF preview »
- Picking A Fight
- Who should be Cotto's next opponent in September? Dan Rafael »