A pensive Connor Coyle goes into his Madison Square Garden middleweight scrap with Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. this Friday confident of victory, but praying that they both emerge from the scheduled 10-rounder “safe and sound” in the aftermath of boxer John Cooney’s death.
A friend of Coyle’s who shared “The Kid” moniker with the Florida-based Derryman, Cooney’s death was announced in Belfast last weekend, seven days after he was stopped in the ninth round by Welshman Nathan Howells at Ulster Hall.
Cooney, who was defending his BBBofC Celtic super featherweight title, was hospitalized after the bout and put in a coma following surgery for bleeding on the brain.
In a post on X, former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan described the 28-year-old southpaw with an 11-1 [3 KO] record as a fine young boxer.
Saddened by his colleague’s passing, Coyle said: “I'm not doing any hateful talking about the fight [with Vito]. Hopefully, we'll [both] come out of the fight healthy and go back home to our families.”
The world ranked Coyle squares off with Mielnicki in the scheduled 10-rounder on ESPN, in top shape and with the WBC, USBA and WBO international belts on the line.
“Training camp went really well,” he told the Echo from Pinellas Park, Florida. “We kicked it into another gear for this camp. It’s definitely the most intense camp – the most focused and motivated that I've ever been because we've had the contract signed for a long time, so I knew exactly who I was fighting and when I was fighting.
“So, I was able to motivate myself and push hard every day in the gym and we've done our homework on Vito and I'm confident going into the fight. I don't take anyone for granted but I'm confident again in getting the victory and you know both of us coming out of the ring safe and sound.”
In Mielnicki, who’s 22 and has a 20-1 [12 KO] record, he faces a rising prospect, albeit one making his middleweight debut. Mielnicki is riding a 12-fight winning streak. The young Garden State 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 at Madison Square Garden and secured a majority decision over Khalil El Harraz.
Connor Coyle declared the winner after a fight in 2022. [Photo by Damon Gonzalez]
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 34-year-old fought once in the Big Apple as an amateur back in 2008.
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 [10-1, 5 KOs], the grandson of “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali, who meets Juan Carlos Guerra Jr. [5-1-1, 2 KOs] 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 Valentine’s Day show is promoted by Top Rank, in association with K2 Promotions and Queensberry Promotions. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com.
