Tommy Coyle defeated John Simpson with a seventh-round stoppage to win the previously vacant IBF International Lightweight Championship.
The bout was the main event of Sky Sports Fight Night at the Hull Arena in Coyle's hometown of Hull, Yorkshire. The 24-year-old fighter pleased the fans by starting out well with an aggressive first couple of rounds to take an early advantage.
A big moment happened late in Round 2 when a flurry of punches knocked Simpson down just before the bell, which was described by Peter Wells of Boxing Mad Magazine:
While the experienced boxer came back with a solid next few rounds, he could not inflict much damage on his opponent.
The action continued in Round 7 when Coyle earned yet another knockdown. Simpson got up but only lasted another minute before he was sent down for the third time in the match.
While Simpson was able to stand up, the referee ended the match, awarding Coyle the stoppage win.
This might have been a bit of a controversial ending, but it seemed like the outcome would have been the same regardless.
Fraser Dainton of Sky Sports also pointed out that the finish should not take away from the effort put forth by the winner:
Coyle has proved to be one of the better young competitors in the sport as he moves to 17-2 in his career. He recently had a disappointing loss to Derry Mathews, dominating the match until he suffered a knockout blow in the 10th round.
However, he appears to have learned from the loss and is once again on top of his game.
With this convincing victory over a quality opponent, he should continue to move up the rankings in the United Kingdom as well as the rest of the world. It would not be surprising to see him in more high-profile events in the future.
As for Simpson, he appeared a little small, as he usually competes in the super featherweight division. He could not keep up with the youngster, and the overall power of Coyle seemed to doom him throughout the match.
The 30-year-old likely has many more good fights remaining in his career, but he is clearly on the decline after losing four of his last nine bouts. He falls to 25-10 as a professional, although this represents only the second time he was knocked out.
Coyle was simply the better fighter on Saturday, and he deserved to leave with a brand-new championship belt.
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