Connor celebrates reaching the semi-finals at Glasgow 2014.
Connor Coyle has guaranteed Derry a second medal at the Commonwealth Games after making in through to the boxing semi-finals with a brilliant display at Glasgow 2014.
The 24-year-old St Joseph’s ABC fighter tonight defeated South African Siphiwe Lusizi in a quarter-final contest in the middleweight division.
In his most impressive performance to date, Connor gained a unanimous points decision from the judges.
Indeed, Lusizi was lucky to finish the contest when nearly floored in the second round, the South African being given a “standing count” by the referee.
The Galliagh man now joins Oak Leaf ABC’s Sean McGlinchey in Friday’s semi-finals with both guaranteed at least bronze medals.
The pair become the first boxers from Derry to win medals at the Games in almost 30 years.
They will now be hoping to emulate Creggan man, Roy Nash, who won silver in the bantamweight division in the 1986 Games held in Edinburgh.
Connor will fight the much-rated Indian Vijender Vijender who earlier tonight had an convincing unanimous points win over Aaron Prince, the 28-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago.
Vijender will be the Derry man’s toughest opponent to date.
In 1912, the 28-year-old became the first Indian boxer to qualify for three Olympic gems in a row, winning a medal in Beijin in 2008.
He was also the first Indian boxer to be ranked world number one in the 75kg category.
Sean will face 18-year-old New Zealander David Nykia in the light-middleweight division.
Five other Northern Ireland fighters have made it through to the semis.
They are: Paddy Barnes (light flyweight), Michael Conlon (bantamweight), Joe Fitzpatrick (lightweight), Sean Duffy (light welterweight) and Scott Fitzgerald (welterweight).
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