West goes wild for Coyle
August 15 Jonny Stapleton
Henry Coyle has ensured one Mayo bookie won’t be sleeping until the Yew County are knocked out of the All Ireland football championships, by becoming WBF super middleweight ring king in the Royal Theatre late last Friday night.
One betting proprietor offered odds of one million to one against Enda Kenny being elected Taoiseach, Henry Coyle claiming a world title and the Mayo footballers winning Sam.
The Geesala man secured part two of what would prove an amazing treble completing very his own Italian job forcing Elio Cotena to retire before the sixth round in front of a partisan western crowd that included the leader of the country and Matthew Macklin.
Despite claiming one of the seven versions of the world title the 29 year old admits the World Boxing Foundation title is only a stepping stone to world domination.
The Chicago based fighter who came home to work during the Geesala Emigrant Festival also suggested he would like a return with Neil ‘Sinky’ Sinclair.
“It was a great win and its onward and upward from here. There was a bookmaker three months ago giving one million to one on Kenny being Taoiseach, Coyle winning a world title and Mayo winning Sam. He is sweating it today. This is a part of the master plan and we will be looking for bigger things soon, but for now I am WBF world champion and I am delighted. I am the Cinderella man of Irish boxing. I came back from the Neill Sinclair defeat. I would love a rematch with him.” an emotional Coyle said on Friday night.
Coyle may not have collected the least prestigious of the straps, but the win sees the westerners rankings go north. His new status prompted manager Gerry Coyle to stress the WBF champ can launch a more serious title challenge.
“We are planning to take it one step at a time and this win is a small stepping stone in a bigger plan. We originally wanted Henry to fight for the IBF title but that didn’t happen because the powers that be decided to put Cornelius Bundrage in with Powell. Hopefully we can look at getting Bundrage now.”
Talk of Bundrage and any championship fight was a long way off back in 2009 as the former Military Games champion was shoot down convincingly by Neil Sinclair.
Sinclair’s devastating performance forced the Geelsala man into a deep depression and he revealed only a trip for petrol with a neighbour put gas back into his career.
“I was depressed and down after that fight. I went with a neighbour of mine John Carolan to get a drum of gas. The station is 10 miles from my house. Seven miles into the journey two years ago to the day I told him I messed up and I was down. He stopped the car and said ‘Henry if I was to look back at your house while driving to the garage I would end up in the ditch. That is what will happen to you if you keeping looking back and don’t look forward.’ I went back training that night for the first time since the defeat and I haven’t looked back since. I am world champ now. I have one of seven world belts in the world. With the right people behind you can do anything.”
Coyles victory was greeted with massive celebrations. The partisan crowd gave little credence to the fact the light middleweight only won the WBF strap. It was a case of the wild wild west as the home crowd celebrated as if Amir Khan had been dethroned in Mayo. The Royal Theatre ring was busier than its WWE Royal Rumble American cousin and only security saved Coyle from suffering TKO via hugs and flash photographs.
With TG4 said to be delighted boxing will most certainly return west and Coyle might lead the western calvary.
“We put bums on seats tonight and of course I would love to come back here. This is my home and I enjoy fighting here. I am based in Chicago and the lads out there got me in great shape for this fight, but there is no place like home.”
