By Matt Schuman, New Jersey Department of Corrections
Terrance Cauthen fondly recalls sitting in front of his black-and-white television to watch American boxers Sugar Ray Leonard and Pernell Whitaker battle their way to gold medals during the 1984 Olympic Games.
“I was 8 years old at the time,” Cauthen related, “and I remember saying, ‘One day, that’s going to be me.’ Even back then, that was my goal. I always wanted to go to the Olympics.”
Sure enough, 12 years later, Cauthen qualified for the boxing team that represented the United States in the 1996 Summer Olympics, which were held in Atlanta. Competing as a lightweight, the Trenton, New Jersey, native, known in boxing circles as “Heat,” won his first three matches before losing a controversial decision to Bulgarian Tontcho Tonchev and settling for a bronze medal.
Following the ’96 Olympics, Cauthen embarked on a lengthy professional career, the final chapter of which still has yet to be written.
He also laid the groundwork for life after boxing by becoming part of the New Jersey Department of Corrections’ Basic Course for State Corrections Officers, Class 230, which graduated February 4, 2014. Since then, he has been a member of the custody staff at the Central Assignment and Reception Facility (CRAF).
“I hope to be with the Department of Corrections for the long haul,” said Cauthen, who previously worked at Bo Robinson Assessment and Treatment Center in Trenton. “This is where I want to be. It’s not an easy job. There are a lot of things to process, but the staff has been really helpful, and I feel like I’m learning something new every day.
“I relate different things in my life to boxing,” he continued. “In boxing, you put your time in, prepare yourself as well as possible, then you get your reward. It’s no different here. At the [Correctional Staff Training] Academy, it was all about preparation, so that when you do become an officer, you’re at your very best. I like that mindset.”
It is a mindset that helped the 38-year-old Cauthen to become one of the top amateur boxers in the world in the mid-1990s. By the time he was 16, he was taking part in international competitions. At age 18, he was the top-ranked boxer in America in his weight class. Along the way, he won virtually every amateur tournament in the sport, including the Olympic Festival and the National Golden Gloves competition.
“My uncles on my mother’s side were amateur boxers, and as a kid, I always wanted to be like them,” Cauthen said. “So my mom got me a pair of boxing gloves, and from that point on, I was hooked. I tried other sports, but I always came back to boxing.”
His devotion to boxing, did, however, have its limits. As a high school senior, he declined an opportunity to compete abroad because the trip would have caused him to miss his graduation from Trenton Central High School.
“I was picked to go on a trip to Thailand, but I would have had to leave on the same day as my graduation, and I wanted to walk down that isle and get my diploma,” Cauthen said. “I remember the Trenton newspapers did articles about it.”
Nevertheless, by the time the 1996 Olympic Trials arrived, Cauthen had extensive international experience and was considered a legitimate medal contender in the Olympics. That’s why his loss to Jermaine Fields early in the trials was so stunning.
“Because of my ranking, I was offered another opportunity to fight Fields, but I refused,” he said. “I was so mad at myself that I wanted to take the long way to a rematch. So I started from the beginning. I actually had to fight nine times to get another fight with Fields, and then I had to beat him twice in order to get his spot.”
That is exactly what Cauthen did. As a result, he became a member of an American Olympic boxing contingent that included future world champions Floyd Mayweather – arguably the top star in the sport today – Antonio Tarver and David Reid.
“I’ll never forget the opening ceremony,” Cauthen reminisced “Walking into a jam-packed stadium. Everyone was screaming and applauding. I looked around, took it all in and thought to myself, ‘Wow, I’m really here.’ It was an incredible feeling.”
Although the medal he received was a different color than the one he aspired to win, he had no desire to spend four more years in the amateur ranks, then attempt to make the 2000 Olympic squad. So, on December 14, 1996, Cauthen launched his professional career in Atlantic City – on the undercard of a pay-per-view extravaganza headlined by Riddick Bowe – by winning a four-round unanimous decision over Victor Miller.
Cauthen went on to win 15 consecutive fights before suffering his first defeat, a fourth-round technical knockout to Teddy Reid. Following an 11-bout winning streak, Cauthen endured two consecutive losses, leaving his record at 26-3.
After a defeat in the spring of 2012, Cauthen decided to take an extended break from the sport. His record was 36-9, and along the way, he held a variety of regional titles. Furthermore, his sport enabled him to visit nearly every state in the union as well as countries across the globe, among them Russia, Cuba, Jamaica, England and Ireland. However, unlike some of his Olympic teammates, he never had a chance to fight for a world championship.
“What bothers me is that I never gave myself the best possible chance to succeed,” Cauthen said. “I fought at 147 and 154 pounds, but my best fighting weight is 140. It’s important for me to see what I can accomplish at that weight. I can’t close the door on boxing yet. I want to give myself one more chance. I still believe I have a lot of fight left in me.”
Much of his time away from CRAF is spent at the gym, and he is hoping to resume his career in June.
“Right now, I’m probably in the best shape of my life,” said Cauthen, the father of five daughters, ages 20 to 2. “When you’re young, you rely mostly on talent. Now that I’m older, I eat better, work out more consistently and take advantage of my experience.
“I don’t want to look back and say, ‘What if?’ I promised my family and myself that I’d give it another year or so and see what happens. I’m confident that it will work out, but even if it doesn’t, then I’ll know it’s time to move on with the rest of my life.”