Connor Coyle says drug test controversy 'nearly ruined me' as unbeaten middleweight returns to the ring in Florida

​The 35-year-old unbeaten Derry man [21-0] returns to the ring almost 12 months after his draw with Vito Mielmicki at Madison Square Garden Theater as he begins his 10th year as a pro boxer with a 'tune-up fight' against American journeyman Pacino Hill [8-10-2] to kickstart what he expects to be a career-defining year.

"I'm just excited now to get back into the ring and I'm grateful that it's all behind us and we got over it and came out the other end of it the way we should have," said Coyle who features in the Battle in the Bay at the JCC Event Center in Tampa.

Coyle was on the cusp of fighting world middleweight champion Erislandy Lara for the WBA belt before his world was brought crashing down after a strongly disputed drug test which discovered adverse findings in the aftermath of his February fight with Mielmicki in New York City.

Having spent several torturous months fighting to clear his name, he's back with a renewed determination to be crowned world champion.

"We actually had a world title fight lined up," he revealed. "I signed the contract to fight Lara in April for the WBA world title just a week before all this sh*t came out. Listen, I'm happy it's over now and the New York State Athletic Commission are happy and I'm able to fight again. I'll set it all behind me now and move forward."

The world middleweight contender feared he would never fight again and not only was his career in jeopardy, but the Galliagh man was also hit with a $10,000 fine and a partial purse forfeiture which was returned to event promoter Top Rank - 20% of his biggest ever payday during the lowest point of his impeccable 24 year boxing career!

Coyle and his team always maintained his innocence during a lengthy court battle against the New York State Athletic Commission's [NYSAC] suspension as he claimed the test was 'flawed' and 'unreliable' due to procedural errors.

"They basically wanted everything back," explained Coyle. "They wanted the full purse back that I earned - the biggest payday of my life! They also wanted me to pay a $10,000 dollar personal fine as well. I knew I was innocent. My team knew I was innocent. I knew I was innocent so we said 'f**k this! I'm not going down like this!

"So we reached out to some top sports attorneys in New York which wasn't cheap either. It was a major expense but my team wanted to go ahead and do it because we knew we were innocent. We agreed to all the terms - to get extra drug tests done whenever and stuff like that.

"It was a massive shock because I know for a fact I've never ever taken anything to enhance my performance. I've never cheated in all the years I've been boxing, which is 24 years in total. Especially in my professional career I've never once tried to get an upper hand on anybody and I've been tested in almost every fight for the past four years."

The investigation into the initial tests revealed significant issues with laboratory equipment failures and testing protocols that raised questions about the validity of the findings.

The 2014 Commonwealth Games medallist admits that period was 'the worst time of my life' but the initial indefinite suspension was reduced to a nine-month administrative ban which expired last November.

"It should've been dropped immediately because there were so many flaws in the system," claimed Coyle. "We came to terms with it. They could've dragged it on for a couple of years and my career would've been over. So we agreed to the administrative suspension which was only nine months instead of 18 months or two years or whatever it could've been.

"I did everything the New York Commission asked me to do and they were happy enough with everything else. I paid the fines I had to pay. I served my administrative suspension. Jody Caliguire in our team [Fire Fist Promotions], if I didn't have him on board I would've been screwed because I wouldn't have been able to afford it. So a big shout out to Jody and my team who were able to fight this case for me and get us through the other end.

"It wasn't a PED [performance enhancing drug] suspension so I didn't fail the test," he stressed. "It was an administrative suspension. I didn't want my name to be attached to being a cheat or a steroid user or whatever. So that's why it's an administrative suspension and was only nine months.

"I had already served three when I got the papers so I only had six months left to serve. The six months absolutely dragged. It was the worst time of my life. I didn't know what was going to happen.

"I've always put everything into my boxing because it's the only thing I've ever wanted to do. I've always wanted to be a world champion so I didn't have anything to fall back on. I didn't get a trade or anything as I was always away fighting."

Formerly ranked No. 3 in the WBA rankings prior to his ban, Coyle wasn't prepared to give up his livelihood without a fight and he's determined to make up for lost time.

"For me to build my career up the way I built it up and I did it the hard way. I had to take some bad fights and some cheap fights. Even through Covid when I flew myself to Mexico just to stay active. I didn't want to go down like that when I knew I never cheated. So I wanted to clear my name. I didn't even know if I would ever box again but at the same time I still wanted to clear my name. I worked too hard for this."

He certainly hasn't got to the top of the middleweight rankings the conventional way. Indeed, he's had to bide his time after a series of setbacks while steadily climbing up the rankings.

Every time he appears to be on the brink of his elusive world title shot disaster has struck. His high-profile matchup against former British champion Felix Cash in London's 02 Arena was cancelled when headliner Conor Benn failed a drugs test in February 2023. Coyle was also forced to withdraw from his WBA world title eliminator against Austin 'Ammo' Williams due to an elbow injury in January 2024 and when he was offered the opportunity to challenge WBA titlist Lara it was cruelly taken away from him.

"It was the not knowing for me which was the worst part. I didn't know if I was ever going to fight again. And what was I going to do with my life now at 35 years old after putting everything into it and getting to 21-0 - four times WBA NABA champion and on the cusp of a world title and all that to be dragged from under me. It was hard to process." Next week's clash with Hill [29] - who boasts seven KOs from his eight career wins - represents a chance to put all the controversy to bed. Coyle has left nothing to chance in his preparation as he's been sparring with Olympic bronze medalist Amari Jones who fought and beat Hill in 2023.

"It's good work because my opponent is a bit of a mover and so is Amari. He's a very slick boxer. He's [Hill] an awkward opponent but it's a tune-up fight to get me back in the ring. Eight rounds and then we have a mega deal lined up which we can announce after this fight. So it should be a great start to the New Year and I'm excited about it. This year will be massive," he predicted. "I should be back in the ring then again around April or May.

"Now that I'm back at it, I'm just extremely grateful and excited to get back in the ring and start throwing hands again. I'll shake off the rust on January 24th and get back to the big drawing board."

Coyle would like to thank the following sponsors: KSK Rathmor Engineering; The Bentley Bar; Indigo Interiors NY; The Thirsty Goat; Classique Floor Designs; Deluxe Media Walls; Ace Blinds and The Squealing Pig.