Connor Coyle

Having started boxing aged 12, Coyle went on to win two Ulster Senior Championships in the middleweight division.^[3] Representing Northern Ireland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, he took home a bronze medal after defeating South African boxer Siphiwe Lusizi to make it through to the semi-finals,^[4][5] where he lost to India's Vijender Singh.^[3][6]

Coyle turned professional in 2016.^[3][7] He moved to Florida in the USA to train under Jim McLoughlin who previously coached former undisputed light-middleweight world champion Winky Wright.^[8] Coyle made his pro-debut at the A La Carte Pavilion in Tampa on 7 October 2016, knocking out Euris Silverio in the first of their scheduled four-round bout.^[9][10]

Unbeaten in his first 15 professional contests, Coyle claimed the vacant North American Boxing Association middleweight title with a split decision win over Antonio Todd at Caribe Royale Orlando on 21 May 2022. Two of the ringside judges scoring the fight in his favour 97–93 and 96–94 respectively, while the third had it 96–94 for his opponent.^[11][12][13]

He made the first defense of his title at the same venue on 11 December 2022, when his opponent, Sladan Janjanin, retired on his stool at the end of round seven.^[14]

Coyle successfully defended his championship a further two times, defeating Cristian Fabian Rios by unanimous decision at the Hilton Carillon in Saint Petersburg, Florida, on 29 April 2023,^[15][16] and then stopping Joey Bryant in the fifth round at The Blind Tiger in Biloxi, Mississippi, on 19 August 2023.^[17]

He was scheduled to face Austin Williams in Las Vegas on 3 February 2024, in a final eliminator for a shot at the WBA World middleweight title, but was forced to pull out after injuring his right elbow while sparring in training camp for the fight.^[18][19]

The injury kept Coyle out of the ring until 3 August 2024, when he returned with a points win in an eight-round contest against Kyle Lomotey at Oakwell Stadium in Barnsley, England.^[20][21]

His next fight was against Vito Mielnicki Jr at Madison Square Garden in New York for the vacant WBC-USNBC, IBF-USBA and WBO International middleweight titles. The 10-round bout ended in a majority draw, with one judge scoring it 96–94 for Mielnicki Jr, while the other two ruled it a 95–95 tie.^{[22][23][24][25]} In August 2025, it was announced that the fight had been ruled a no contest after Coyle failed a post-fight anti-doping test. The New York State Athletic Commission suspended him until at least 14 November 2025, after which time he must prove he is a clean athlete by a process of mandatory drug testing, before being allowed to compete again. Coyle was also fined $10,000 and ordered to forfeit 20 percent of his purse from the Mielnicki bout.^[26]