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Former 140-pound titleholder Chris Algieri dropped and stopped Tommy Coyle this evening at Madison Square Garden in a fight that was every bit as entertaining as it figured to be, and now Algieri may be in line for another world title opportunity.
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Algieri (24-3, 9 KO) had to fight off a hot start from the action-minded Coyle, who looked to do damage early. Algieri was hurt in the second round, but was able to hold Coyle off and get into the fight after that.
In the fourth round, some combination work to the body put Coyle (25-5, 12 KO) on the canvas, but the British fighter bravely got up and fought back hard. Algieri, though, had more or less figured it out by that point, and was able to pick Coyle apart over the remaining few rounds.
In the eighth round, Algieri did some real damage, battering a gassing Coyle, who finished the round. But his corner had seen enough, and pulled him from the fight at that point.
It was a terrific effort from Coyle, as always, but Algieri’s height and length and precision work were just too much for the road fighter.
With the win, Algieri could find himself in the ring later this year for another shot at the WBO junior welterweight title, which he won in 2014 against Ruslan Provodnikov and never lost in the ring, vacating to move up to welterweight.