Tampa, FL (April 28, 2023) – On Saturday, April 29, Connor “The Kid” Coyle makes the second defense of his NABA middleweight title against iron-chinned Argentine Christian Fabian Rios at the Hilton Carillon in St. Petersburg, FL.
A native of Derry, Northern Ireland, Coyle trains in Pinellas Park, FL under Florida Boxing Hall of Famer Jim McLaughlin. A perfect 18-0 with 8 knockouts, Coyle had a breakout year in 2022, going 4-0 including a May decision victory over Antonio Todd to secure the NABA title. The 32-year-old is currently ranked #4 by the World Boxing Association (WBA, and plans to fight for a world title within the next 12 months but he must first win Saturday evening.
A veteran of 43 fights, Rios faced a number of top fighters and has only been stopped once. The Buenos Aires battled the likes of David Lemieux, Esquiva Falcao, Billi Godoy, Tommy Langford, William Scull, Kyrone Davis and Najee Lopez among others. He owns victories over Ulises David Lopez (27-3) and Martin Fidel Rios (13-1-2), while battling Jorge Sebastian Heiland (19-2-1) to a draw.
Like all of his foes, Coyle respects Rios and knows the importance of improving with every fight, especially as bigger opportunities are likely to come in the near future.
“Rios is a tough and experienced veteran who’s faced a lot of world class guys,” said Coyle. “We had a full eight week training camp in Florida and we worked hard on making improvements. I am excited to be back in the ring and plan to give the fans a great performance.”
The ten round Coyle-Rios NABA championship bout tops Reyes Fire Fist Boxing’s “Fire on the Bay.” Tickets are on sale at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fire-on-the-bay-tickets-556587025777. The card will also be broadcast live on Reyesboxingtv.com.
In the co-featured bout, St. Petersburg’s Joseph Fernandez, 15-5-3 (5 KO’s), challenges “Mean” Marqus Bates, 11-5 (8 KO’s), of Taunton, MA for the vacant NABA 140 pound title. Both fighters went through the ups and downs of the boxing, but the winner of this 50-50 fight will be in position for a significant opportunity in the near future.
Willian “Babyface” Silva returns to the ring in an eight rounder against Diego Gonzalo Luque. Residing in Brazil and training in Florida, Silva’s excellent professional ledger is 29-4 with 17 victories by knockout. Representing Argentina, Luque’s 21-11-2 with 10 KO’s.
Unbeaten St. Petersburg light heavyweight Imran Haddabah puts his 8-0 record on the line versus Scott Lampert of Dover Plains, NY. A local fan favorite, Haddabah is 8-0 with 6 KO’s. Lampert is 5-7 with 4 wins by stoppage.
Super featherweight Gabriel Morales of Lowell, MA battles Kalamazoo, MI’s Nathan Harp Jr in a four rounder. A former Golden Gloves champion, Morales is 6-0 with 3 KO’s.
Welterweight spoiler Rodrigo Coria meets Marcelo Fabian Bzowski in a six rounder. Coria is 10-5 with 2 KO’s and his last four foes have a combined record of 60-2. On January 14, the 24-year-old Argentine lost a close decision to Brian Norman Jr. (22-0)
Methuen, MA junior middleweight Luke Iannuccilli, 5-0 (2 KO’s), faces Christopher Wright of Tifton, GA and Clearwater, FL’s Mike Misa, 3-0 (2 KO’s) squares off with Massachusetts native Russ Kimber in a light heavyweight contest. Both fights are scheduled four rounds.
Doors open at 6 pm and the first bout is scheduled for 7.
