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Connor Coyle to take on 27-3 Mexican next month


Following a somewhat frustrating 2018, Connor Coyle [8(3)-0] will kick off this year with a bang next month.

The 28-year-old Derry middleweight fights on a Roy Jones Jr-promoted card on Saturday February 16th at the St Petersburg Coliseum in Florida.

Here he will step up to ten rounds for the first time and it has tonight been confirmed that Coyle will face Mexican Oscar Cortez [27(14)-3(3)].

The Jalisco puncher debuted as a 16-year-old featherweight back in 2009 and went 21 unbeaten and winning and defending the WBC Youth Intercontinental title before losing to Carlos Jiminez in 2012.

Cortez would then be defeated by Francisco Perez for the WBC Youth Intercontinental title at light welter. Eventually ending up at middleweight, his last major fight saw Cortez lose to Canadian prospect Francis Lafreniere for the WBO-NABO title.

The Latino also saw a fight with the highly-rated Erickson Lubin fall through last year and was also forced to pull out of a clash with Canadian welter Custio Clayton after outgrowing the division.

Injuries and scheduling meant Commonwealth bronze medallist Coyle fought just once in 2018 when, during the summer, he stopped the game Danny Pastrana to claim the NBA Inter-Continental title.

‘The Kid’ is currently out in Florida rounding off camp under top trainer Jim McLoughlin where he is getting top sparring in with unbeaten Brazilian contender Yamaguchi Falcao.

Coyle v Cortez is the co-headline attraction on the Fire Fist bill which will also be shown live on UFC FIGHT PASS. In the main event, light welter William Silva takes on Juan Ramon Solis.

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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