Henry Coyle, newly crowned WBF light middleweight champion, pictured at Doolough beach in Geesalaon the morning after his triumph. Pic Alison LoredoDARK rain clouds may have blocked the light of the full moon shining on Mayo last Friday, but they did not stop the heavens from shining down on the Royal Theatre as Geesala's Henry Coyle overcame Italy's Elio Cotena to become WBF (World Boxing Foundation) light-middleweight champion.

 

The 'Western Warrior' Coyle returned home from his base in Chicago to his native Mayo to take on the Italian for the vacant WBF crown in front of a packed auditorium in Castlebar.

Coyle headlined the bill on a night that featured a feast of top-class local and international talent. Fans in attendance had already been treated to a host of great bouts on the undercard and the tension was fever-pitch as the main event drew closer.

An impromptu chorus of “Hen-ry, Hen-ry” filled the air as Coyle made final preparations in the dressing room. Then the whole arena erupted into a frenzy that would send shivers down the spine of even the most hardened sports fan when Coyle made his way to the ring through a full standing ovation with 'The green and red of Mayo' blasting from the speakers.

From the moment the first bell sounded, both fighters were hard at work. Although the fight was scheduled for 12 rounds, neither fighter took time to feel the other out, they were straight into the action, much to the delight of the crowd.

From very early in the fight it was clear that Coyle was a class above his opponent.

That's not to say Cotena is a slouch by any means (he is reigning IBF Mediterranean champion), but Coyle has such a range of shots at his disposal.

Coyle mixed it up so well, throwing jabs, hooks, combinations between the head and body, that his opponent could be seen to be lacking. His movement in the ring is also excellent. That movement, coupled with his arsenal of shots and his power, makes him a force that can trouble any seasoned pro.

By the third round Coyle had taken control and was starting to dictate the pace of the fight, working his opponents body and head in a series of blisteringly fast combinations.

This pace continued into the fourth, and it started to look like Coyle was going to finish the fight inside the distance. Towards the end of the round he landed two great combinations to the head, followed directly by a five-shot combination to the body. Cotena was lucky the bell rang, as another 30 seconds and the fight could have ended there.

The break before the fifth allowed Cotena to steady himself, and again they went at it. But, halfway through the round a clash of heads resulted in a terrible cut on the Italian's right eye. Straight away he signalled to his corner and knew his fight was over. He protected his eye as best he could until the round ended, but the doctor put a stop to the fight as the cut was too bad to let him continue.

Surely Coyle would have preferred to win by knocking his opponent down, but a win is a win, and besides Coyle certainly won the first five rounds looking comfortable.

When asked after the fight if the plan was to stop his opponent inside the distance, Coyle said: “No. The plan was rounds in the bank, and I believe I won five rounds.” He clearly would have stopped his opponent later or at the very least won on points.