Connor 'The Kid' Coyle ready to show he belongs at elite level against Felix Cash on Eubank-Benn card

The undefeated Derry man (17-0) wants to showcase to the world his true potential and grabbed the opportunity to feature on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr vs. Conor Benn’s high profile clash with both hands.

It’s the fight he’s been working towards since turning professional in 2016 and having navigated a bumpy road towards his current top 10 ranking with the WBA, the NABA middleweight title holder can’t wait for the exposure he’s been craving.

The Matchroom Boxing and Wasserman Boxing promotion will be viewed by millions worldwide on DAZN Sport and will be staged in front of an estimated 20,000 at the London venue as Eubank and Benn collide 30 years on from their iconic fathers’ second showdown at Old Trafford.

It’s Coyle’s toughest test so far against hard-hitting former British and Commonwealth champion, Cash (15-0) but the Derry boxer explains it was too good an opportunity to turn down despite the risk of losing his unblemished record.

“We got the phone call about two weeks ago but I needed to get last Saturday’s fight out of the way before I publicised it,” explained Coyle who stretched his record to 17-0 with a unanimous decision victory over Mexican journeyman, Silverio Ortiz, in Florida last week.

“They (Matchroom) approached us for the fight. It’s everything we’ve been working towards and the kind of phone call we’ve been waiting on.

“It’s short notice but I’m ready to fight. I was in the gym and training so I was getting ready for Saturday’s fight. The Cash fight was just three weeks later so I felt I would be in even better shape for that fight.

“So why not accept it? It’s not like when I was offered the Eubank fight on six weeks notice when I was sick and nine kilos overweight. I was in the gym, training and on weight. So I think it came at the perfect time.”

The former St Joseph’s ABC clubman will go in as slight underdog given Cash has been around the London circuit for quite some time and fought some big domestic fights against top rated fighters.

His pulsating eighth round TKO victory over Jack Cullen at the MEN Arena, Manchester was a contender for ‘fight of the year’. He also blew away WBO world middleweight contender, Denzel Bentley, after three rounds in 2021 with his aggressive, all action style and survived two knockdowns on his way to clinching the WBC International middleweight title against Russian Magomed Madiev in his last outing at the Alexandra Palace in February.

Ranked No. 4 by the WBO and No. 10 by the IBF, Cash’s career has been stop-start but he’s on an upward trajectory. Coyle reckons his opponent has been gifted those top domestic fights in contrast to how he’s had to reach this stage having ‘come up the hard way’, carving out a name for himself in the USA under the watchful eye of Hall of Fame trainer, Jim McLoughlin.

“I don’t know if he’ll underestimate me,” answered Coyle when asked if Cash has perhaps overlooked his threat when identifying his next opponent, “He’s ranked higher than me and has had more high level fights, but I’ve had a good amateur background. I’m 17-0 myself and I haven’t come up the easy way. I’ve had tough opponents, tough fights against very experienced opponents so it’s not to say I’ve had it easy coming up through.

“We’ve had to get fights and take fights a certain way to try and build my career whereas he’s had a lot of his fights handed to him and got good paydays. I’m coming up the tough way, struggling, and he’s had these fights handed to him so I’ve had to reach out with both hands and take the fight.”

It hasn’t been an easy journey for Coyle but he’s grateful to finally get his chance on a major stage.

“It’s on DAZN and Matchroom boxing so it doesn’t get any bigger than that in boxing. It’s the biggest platform in boxing these days. It will be viewed worldwide so it’s an amazing opportunity and I have to make the most of it.”

Cash has proven he’s got heavy hands with 10 of his 15 wins ending by way of knockouts. However, Coyle isn’t fazed and believes he’s got superior footwork and hand speed which will get the job done on the night.

And the 2012 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist reckons Cash will bring out the best in him as he devises a plan to clinch the vacant WBA Inter Continental middleweight belt on the night.

“He’s an aggressive boxer. He comes forward and picks his shots. So he will always be there in front of me and he’ll be there to hit as well. We’re working on a few things of our own where we think we can do damage to him.

“He’s a bit flat footed when he comes forward. He’s a bit heavier on the feet than me so I think my footwork will be much better than his and my hand speed.

“I’m going to showcase to the world my true potential and show people what level I’m actually fighting at against a top fighter. I need to be in with a top level fighter to prove to people where I belong. The higher level I’m at the better I am. I’m expecting a high level output on October 8th.

“We know his style. We know he has good, solid punches but we’ve got to take away all his good attributes. Everything he’s good at we have to take away from him and focus on my strengths. So I’m just excited to get in there and get the business done.”