Coyle after capturing the NBA title PHOTO CREDIT – Damon Gonzalez Latin Box Sports

St. Petersburg, FL (June 20, 2017) – Middleweight up and comer Connor “The Kid” Coyle became the NBA Intercontinental middleweight champion by scoring an impressive sixth round stoppage of local rival Danny “El Bebo” Pastrana Saturday, June 16 at The Coliseum in St. Petersburg, FL.

The card was promoted by Fire Fist Boxing Promotions in association with Money Round Boxing League.

Fighting in front of a sold out crowd, both men looked to impose their will in the early going. Eventually, Coyle found his range and peppered Pastrana with jabs while using good movement to steer clear of return shots. With the fight under his control, Coyle buzzed Pastrana with a right hand in round six. Moments later, the 28-year-old uncorked a massive right hand that sent his Orlando, FL based foe crashing to the canvas. The game Pastrana beat the 10 count but was clearly out of it, forcing the stoppage at 2:50.

Coyle, who hails from Derry, Northern Ireland but trains out of Tampa, FL, improves to 8-0 with 3 wins by knockout. Pastrana slips to 6-5 (1 KO).

In the co-featured bout of the evening, two-time Olympic medalist Ivan Dychko destroyed former title challenger Mike Marrone of Vero Beach, FL in in less than a round. Originally from Kazakhstan and now fighting out of Kissimmee, FL, Dychko scored three knockdowns before the bout was stopped at 2:19.

The 6’9 Dychko ups his professional ledger to 6-0 with all of his victories by knockout. Marrone is now 21-9 with 15 KO’s.

Grand Rapids, MI featherweight Vincent Jennings scored a shocking six round majority decision over local favorite Jose “Lil Pacquiao” Resendiz of St. Petersburg. In a battle between boxer and brawler, Jennings did all he could to keep the aggressive Resendiz, who also had to overcome a cut, on the outside.

Judge Chris Young’s 57-57 tally was overruled by scorecards of 58-56 from both Efrian Lebron and Mike Ross.

Jennings is now 6-5-1 with 4 victories by way of KO while Resendiz falls to 5-2.

Welterweight phenom and crowd favorite Mark Reyes Jr., 7-0 (5 KO’s) Demolished Puerto Rican veteran Javier Garcia in 2:25. Representing Tampa, FL, Reyes displayed impressive speed and dynamic power, scoring a knockdown following a vicious combination that left Garcia unable to continue.

“I am pleased with the card,” said Jody Caliguire of Fire Fist Boxing Promotions. “We were able to showcase a number of top fighters from the Sunshine State and had a great crowd. Connor looked fantastic and we believe the sky is the limit for him. Mark Reyes Jr. Is a great young talent as well and Ivan Dychko is a force to be reckoned with. I’d like to thank all the fighters and every fans who came out to show their support along with Money Round Boxing League for showing the fight worldwide via their website.

Fire Fist returns to the St. Pete Coliseum Saturday, October 6 and details will be available shortly. For more information, visit Firefistboxing.net or Facebook.com/firefistboxing.

OTHER RESULTS:

JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHTS – Joseph Fernandez (8-3-3, 1 KO – Arcadia, FL) UD6 Larry Yanez (4-10-2, Fort Lauderdale, FL) 60-54, 60-54, 60-54

WELTERWEIGHTS – Leonel Jimenez (5-23-1, 4 KO’s – Eagle Pass, TX) SD6 Ali Tareh (13-14-5, 6 KO’s – St. Petersburg, FL) – 58-56, 59-55, 56-58

BANTAMWEIGHTS – Brian Cannady (3-0, 2 KO’s – Fort Myers, FL) TKO4 Michael Wooten (0-1 – Orlando, FL)

HEAVYWEIGHTS – Rodriguez Cade (2-1, 2 KO’s – Monroe, GA) KO2 Gary Kelly (1-7 – Montgomery, AL)

Coyle and Pastrana ready for fight night

PHOTO CREDIT: Damon Gonzalez – Latin Box Sports

Tampa, FL (June 13, 2018) – When unbeaten middleweight Connor Coyle entered the paid ranks, he was considered one of Ireland’s prized prospects. The Derry native medaled at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and generated a lot of interest from promoters across the globe.

Coyle ultimately signed with Tampa, FL based Fire Fist Promotions and five of his seven professional bouts took place in the Tampa region. To ensure he’s at his absolute best when entering the squared circle, Coyle treks more than 4000 miles from Ireland to Tampa for training camp.

While his stateside training camps play an integral role in Coyle’s improvement, it comes with major sacrifices.

“The hardest part is having to get up and leave my little girl for each camp,” Coyle said of training in Tampa while his 2-year-old daughter remains in Ireland. “I’ve been doing this since she was born and it’s hard because she doesn’t understand why.”

The 7-0 Coyle’s next challenge comes Saturday, June 16 when he meets rival Danny Pastrana of Orlando, FL in a ten round contest for the NBA Intercontinental middleweight title at the Coliseum in St Petersburg, FL.

Pastrana has a modest 6-4 record with 1 KO but has faced good competition. He’s had a full training camp leading up to June 16 and Coyle’s expecting the confident Pastrana to be at his best.

“I’ve put in a full training camp and the work has been done in the gym. Training so far from home is a struggle with my daughter back in Ireland but it also inspires me. I’ll be ready for whatever Danny Pastrana brings Saturday night and plan to return to Ireland with the NBA championship.”

The card is promoted by Fire Fist Promotions in association with Money Round Boxing. A limited number of tickets are available at www1.ticketmaster.com/event/0D00548D9F1C967E.

Fans can also enjoy the fight live from anywhere in the world starting at 7 pm ET at Moneyroundboxing.com. The telecast will feature commentary by Boxing Hall of Famer Winky Wright.

In the co-featured bout of the evening, two-time Olympic bronze medalist Ivan Dychko, 5-0 (5 KO’s), of Kissimmee, FL by way of Kazakhstan challenges former title contender Mike Marrone, 21-8 (15 KO’s), of Vero Beach, FL. The 6’9 Dychko is regarded by many as a future heavyweight champion.

Welterweight phenom Mark Reyes Jr. squares off against experienced Puerto Rican Javier Garcia, 8-16-1 (3 KO’s) in a six rounder. Living and fighting out of Tampa, Reyes Jr, 6-0 (4 KO’s), was a top amateur and has a huge following. Against Reyes, Garcia’s facing his 12^th unbeaten foe.

Featherweight crowd pleaser Jose “Lil Pacquiao” Resendiz, 5-1 (3 KO’s) of St. Petersburg meets Vincent Jennings of Grand Rapids, MI in a six round affair. Resendiz is a favorite in the Sunshine State, fighting a Pacquiao-esque style that puts fans at the edge of their seats. Jennings, 5-5-1 (4 KO’s), fought all across the country and has a decision win over previously unbeaten Dennis Galarza.

The undercard features the career finale of St. Petersburg’s Ali Terah, junior welterweight Joseph Fernandez, heavyweight Rodriguez Cade and bantamweight Rufat Huseynov in separate bouts.

The cruiserweight contest featuring Nicholas Iannuzzi and Vincent Miranda was cancelled due to an injury suffered by Iannuzzi in training.

For more information, visit Firefistboxing.net.