Former junior welterweight world titleholder Chris Algieri will fight Tommy Coyle in a 10-round bout on the undercard of the fight between unified heavyweight world titleholder Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr., Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has announced.
The card is scheduled for June 1 (DAZN) at Madison Square Garden in New York, making it a hometown fight for Algieri, who is a popular draw from nearby Huntington, New York, on Long Island.
The winner likely will be in the mix for a possible shot at the 140-pound world title held by Maurice Hooker, who is also co-promoted by Hearn.
Algieri (23-3, 8 KOs), 35, will be looking for his third consecutive victory since returning in November from a 2½-year layoff following a fifth-round knockout loss to Errol Spence Jr. at welterweight in April 2016.
“I’m very excited to be fighting once again at the ‘Mecca of Boxing,’ Madison Square Garden on June 1,” said Algieri, who will be fighting at MSG for the third time but for the first time in the main arena. “I know that Tommy Coyle is another tough test for me and that a victory will bring me one step closer to another world title fight.”
Coyle (25-4, 12 KOs), 29, of England, an all-action fighter, has won three bouts in a row. He made his United States debut in Boston in October and claimed a 10-round decision against crowd favorite Ryan Kielczweski of nearby Quincy, Massachusetts.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be boxing on such a huge event at Madison Square Garden,” Coyle said. “It’s a dream come true. Fighting in America is one thing, but fighting at the ‘Mecca of Boxing’ against a former world champion in Chris Algieri is just unbelievable and I’m so up for it. I’m expecting [an Arturo] Gatti versus [Micky] Ward style fight, I really am. I know how tough Chris is. You’ve only got to watch him in the [Ruslan] Provodnikov fight. I’m not sure if he broke his eye socket or not, but he just gritted his teeth and battled on.
“I think we’re both cut from the same cloth. It can only go one way, and I think that’s a war. I honestly believe that this fight has come at the perfect time for me. It’s like I’m having a rebirth in my career and I’m probably performing the best I’ve ever performed in the gym. If I come through this fight successfully there could be a world title shot on the horizon for me.”