As he zeroes in on a world middleweight title shot, highly ranked undefeated contender Connor “The Kid” Coyle tackles hot New Jersey prospect Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. in a 10-round ESPN bout at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 14. On the line will be the WBC, USBA and WBO international belts.
The Valentine’s Day scrap, on the undercard of WBO world lightweight champion Denys Berinchyk’s first defense, against Keyshawn Davis, will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
In the co-feature, Puerto Rican standout Xander Zayas, who’s been mentioned as a possible Callum Walsh opponent, steps up against fellow unbeaten Slawa Spomer.
Also in action on the night will be middleweight prospect Nico Ali Walsh [11-1, 5 KOs], the grandson of “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali, who will face an opponent to be named in a six-rounder. Ali Walsh avenged the lone loss of his career last June, overcoming a dislocated shoulder to win a unanimous decision over Sona Akale.
The show is promoted by Top Rank, in association with K2 Promotions and Queensberry Promotions. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com.
“Keyshawn Davis has everything it takes to be a modern-day great, but he must first defeat an unbeaten, determined Ukrainian champion in Denys Berinchyk. This has all the makings of a lightweight classic in New York City,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum.
“Xander Zayas is facing a tough, undefeated kid in Slawa Spomer, an excellent test for our Puerto Rican star as he nears a world title shot. And with Vito Mielnicki Jr. facing unbeaten Irishman Connor Coyle, we have a sensational tripleheader in store for the fans at The Theater at Madison Square Garden and watching live on ESPN.”
Ranked #3 by the World Boxing Association [WBA], whose middleweight champion is Erislandy Lara, Coyle [21-0, 9 KOs], will be making his New York debut as a prizefighter. The Derryman, who’s 34, fought once in the Big Apple as an amateur back in 2008.
“I love New York, I just love everything about it and I'm just excited to get over there,” Coyle, who trains in Pinellas Park, Florida, told the Echo. “I'm supposed to be fighting in Madison Square Garden, where an idol of mine growing up in Derry, John Duddy, he’d have sold out the place out and he would have had a big following in New York,”
He’s up for the challenge at boxing’s most famous arena: “Training’s been going extremely well. We're very happy with how things are going. I've watched some film on him. I've watched just enough to know what I need to do to win the fight, and everything we're working on am just gonna show come Feb. 14.
“I'm not gonna give too much away. You never know who's gonna read the article or who's keeping an eye on what I'm doing. But we're gonna prepare for whatever Vito has to bring and I'm pretty excited to let my hands go on Feb. 14.”
Coyle fought just once in 2024. That was an eight-round decision over Kyle Lomotey in Barnsley, England, in August.
He gave a shout out to his handlers and sponsors, including Jody Caliguire, Jim McLoughlin, John Vinciugerra, John Cooley, and his amateur trainer
Cahir Duffy. Sponsors include Anthony Burns of Interior Designs New York, Kevin McDaid and Darryl McDermott of KSK Rathmor Engineering and
James McDermott and Kevin McDaid of Deluxe Media Walls.
Then there’s advisor Elliot Amaoko. “He played a big part in getting this fight over the line,” said Coyle.
The 22-year-old Mielnicki [20-1, 12 KOs] makes his middleweight debut and is riding a 12-fight winning streak. The Garden State’s rising star signed with Top Rank last year and made his promotional debut in August with a second-round disqualification win over Laszlo Toth. He returned in September at The Theater and secured a majority decision over Khalil El Harraz.
