Connor “The Kid” Coyle threw down the gauntlet to the Sept. 14 Erislandy Lara-Danny Garcia World Boxing Association [WBA] middleweight title winner with an emphatic eight rounds points decision over Kyle Lomotey in Barnsley, England, last Saturday.
Coyle, who trains in Florida and is the WBA’s top ranked 160-pound contender shook off a year’s worth of ring rust to best a fighter who’d only been beaten once before.
The Derry man upped his record to 21-0 [9 KOs] on his British debut broadcast live by Sky Sports. Lomotey, a southpaw, dropped to 12-2 [2 KOs].
Coyle boxed with purpose from the opening bell, pressing the action and keeping Lomotey, a Leigh, Lancashire, native, on the back foot as the ring rust wore off.
There were no knockdowns although Coyle came close to scoring one in the seventh round. A powerful overhand left to the head turned Lomotey’s legs to jelly, but he managed to stay on his feet.
"I definitely enjoyed it," Coyle told Derry Now. "I was excited to make my UK debut and what a phenomenal place to have my first fight here in the UK, Barnsley Stadium, so thank you very much to the people who showed up and showed absolutely amazing support.”
He admitted to feeling rusty early on – his previous fight being the fifth round stoppage of Joey Bryant in Biloxi, Mississippi, in August last year.
"There was some ring rust. I found it hard to find my distance, but hats off to Kyle, he's a very good mover and his footwork was excellent. When I wanted to land those big shots, he was able to get turned and he moved away. A year out, I felt a little bit rusty. I thought I was good in the gym but you need to be fighting regularly.
"This fight I was able to shake the rust off. We have had the best sparring over in Florida this year, so I know I'm going to have the best rounds of sparring and I'll just continue my training now until we get the call for that World title fight."
Team Coyle now awaits the winner of the Lara-Garcia scrap on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas. Lara, the 41-year-old champion, is favored to retain the title.
"We would like to fight Lara for the world title," Coyle’s trainer Jim McLoughlin told Derry Now.
