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)