World title hunting Connor Coyle seeking knockout performance on Sky Sports bill

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​CONNOR 'The Kid' Coyle is hoping to deliver a knockout performance in front of the Sky Sports TV cameras in Barnsley on Saturday night which will seal his long awaited world title shot!

​And knowing his three children, Clódagh-Rose (8), Cálaeb (4) and Cadáin (10 months), will be ringside to watch their dad perform in the ring for the first time after months away from home at his Florida base, is enough motivation for Coyle to get the job done early!

"I'll be happy to get in and get out and see the wains who will be coming to watch me," said Coyle. "It will be the first time they've watched their daddy fighting.

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"I'll be buzzing they're there but once I'm in the zone I'll be in the zone and focussed on what I'll be doing in the ring. I'll know they're in the crowd watching but I'll have tunnel vision and take care of what's in front of me.

"It will make me even more determined to get him out of there early so I can go and see the wains," he laughed.

Nothing has been plain-sailing in the professional career of the unbeaten Derry middleweight and so he wasn't to be derailed by travel disruption this week as he made his way from his Florida camp to Manchester.

A four hour delay to his flight from Tampa to Atlanta meant he missed his connecting flight to England and Coyle and his team found themselves right back where they started!

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The 2012 Commonwealth Games medallist is no stranger to setbacks and he shrugged off this latest one before finally landing in England on Wednesday ahead of his biggest pro fight in the UK to date.

Connor 'The Kid' Coyle is ready to put on a show in Barnsley.Connor 'The Kid' Coyle is ready to put on a show in Barnsley.
Connor 'The Kid' Coyle is ready to put on a show in Barnsley.

He's fighting Lancashire native, 33 year-old Kyle Lomotey [12-1-0] who has stood in with three weeks notice for a fight which could provide him with the notoriety he's craving should he upset the odds against the WBA's No.2 ranked fighter in the world.

That's not a scenario Coyle is even contemplating. He's had the best fight camp of his career so far and is ready to impress in front of a sold-out attendance at Barnsley Football Club's Oakwell Stadium.

"We left Tampa where we had a four hour delay to Atlanta so we missed our flight from Atlanta to Manchester.

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"We had to be flown back to Florida and we were stranded in Orlando. So two days of travelling and were back to where we started. Actually we're in Orlando so not exactly where we started.”He had a day to rest up and then it was all systems go for the public workout on Thursday.

Connor “The Kid” Coyle after he retained his NABA middleweight championship following a ten round beatdown of Argentina’s Christian Fabian Rios in April last year in St. Petersburg, FL.Connor “The Kid” Coyle after he retained his NABA middleweight championship following a ten round beatdown of Argentina’s Christian Fabian Rios in April last year in St. Petersburg, FL.
Connor “The Kid” Coyle after he retained his NABA middleweight championship following a ten round beatdown of Argentina’s Christian Fabian Rios in April last year in St. Petersburg, FL.

“We have the open workout on Thursday and then the weigh-in Friday and fight Saturday. I'll be sharp by Saturday,” he promised.

"I'm raring to go. I'll be flying on Saturday night. I'm in good form. I know I've put the work in so I’ll just go in there and enjoy it.”Coyle shouldn’t be sharing the same ring as Lomotey at this stage of his career with both fighters on different trajectories. The Derry man could be just one fight away from challenging the winner of next month’s showdown between WBA titlist Erislandy Lara and former multi-world title holder Danny Garcia on September 14th in Las Vegas.

And so he won’t underestimate a potential tricky southpaw opponent on Saturday night.

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"It's definitely the best prepared I've ever been for a fight. I've had plenty of rounds this year with southpaws because I was getting ready for [Austin] ‘Ammo’ Williams until that fight fell through.

“I came back and we thought we had another southpaw fight so we had a few southpaw spars and then we had the six weeks with [Mateo] Tapia in between that.

“We have a gameplan and you'll see it on Saturday. You can expect a good, strong, solid performance.

"I don't want this fight to go the distance. I feel I'm levels above. “I'm right there on the cusp of a world title fight. So I shouldn't be in the ring with these kinds of boys. I should be fighting high calibre fighters at this stage.

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“We’ve been trying to get those fights and when we've had those fights something happened and they fell through but we're just going to keep pushing until it happens for us.

“Once I get that opportunity on the big stage it'll show.”

Coyle doesn’t plan on giving his opponent time to get comfortable, knowing the home-based fighter could make it a difficult night.

“I won't take Kyle lightly. I can't take him for granted. He's southpaw and all southpaws are tricky. You can't get everything from watching training videos or fights.

"Once you go in there sometimes it just throws you completely off because it's not what you expected. I'm not going to focus too much on what fights he's had.

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"When I go in I will just dial in straight away in the first round. I won't take my foot off the gas. I will be switched on from the first round and if I see an opening to take him out. Whether it's the first, second or third.

"I'm not going to box through the rounds I'll take him out if I see an opening. The main thing is going in and looking good on my UK TV debut.

"What the promoters want to see is you looking good and having a good knockout. So that will be good if it comes.”

Coyle has never shirked a challenge and he’s hoping he finally gets to test himself against one of the middleweight division’s elite once he stretches his unblemished record to 21-0.

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"I've seen Lara will fight Danny Garcia on September 14th so that's only a month after my fight. So if he beats Danny Garcia after six or seven rounds it could pave the way for a big fight between me and Lara in the next six months I'm hoping.

“I'd say they [Sky Sports, Boxxer] will definitely have me in the ring again before Christmas which would be good to finish out the year with them.

“I’m next in line [for title shot]. I want the biggest names. I want the challenge and want to prove myself. I know I can do it and just want to prove it. I just need that opportunity.”

The former St Joseph’s ABC clubman would like to thank his sponsors for being there every step of the way.

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"I’d like to thank all my Derry sponsors who have been supporting me throughout the whole year even when I haven't had a fight, they'e helped me get through these training camps and travelling disasters.

"So a shout out to them and my coaches, my whole team and Cahair Duffy back home.”

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