2 hrs ago
2 min read
NEWARK, NJ. — Vito Mielnicki proved that he belongs in the middleweight division and is ready for the next step.
The 24-year-old grabbed the biggest win of his career by outpointing Austin “Ammo” Williams via unanimous decision on Friday night at Prudential Center in the co-feature under Andy Ruiz-Damian Knyba.
On paper, it appeared to be an even matchup but Mielnicki made it look incredibly easy against the former world title challenger.
Judges Lynne Carter, Mark Consentino and Steve Weisfeld scored it the same at 98-91.
"There's still some things I have to clean up, but I'm happy with the performance," Mielnicki said in the post-fight interview. "I'm happy and blessed."
The Belleville, New Jersey, native has nine wins in a row since teaming up with renowned trainer Ronnie Shields in November 2023.
There were questions around whether or not Mielnicki (24-1, 13 KOs) had what it takes to bump heads with a bonafide contender. But in the opening three minutes, he answered those questions by dropping Williams with a left hook. A stumbling Williams managed to get back to his feet and was saved by the bell.
Williams (20-3, 13 KOs) attempted to fight fire with fire, but that never quite worked in his favor. In the fourth, he wobbled around the ring courtesy of a straight right hand from Mielnicki.
It was rinse and repeat for Mielnicki most of the way. Williams, though, did have success in the seventh when he backed him against the ropes. Mielnicki leaned back and popped Williams with an uppercut, forcing him to take several cautious steps back.
In clear control, Mielnicki took his foot off the gas in the eighth. That was exactly what Williams needed as he landed several hard shots, busting Mielnicki’s nose with a left hand. The pro-Mielnicki crowd gasped as he struggled in retreat. However, he found his composure, boxed and moved as he cruised to the finish line after a dazzling 10th round with a flurry of uppercuts that rocked Williams.
"I want a world title," Mielnicki said, calling out WBA champ Erislandy Lara. "I think Lara is a good fight for me. I'm ranked high in the WBA.”
Lara (32-3-3, 19 KOs) hasn’t fought in 2026, and only three times in the last four years.
The rest of the undercard:
- Eridson Garcia (24-2, 14 KOs) def. Alan Chaves KO (22-1, 19 KOs) UD 10 - Lightweights
- Zaquin Moses (8-0, 4 KOs) def. Angel Contreras (18-11-2, 12 KOs) TKO 5 - Super featherweights
- Brooke Mullen (4-0, 2 KOs) def. Bria Miller (2-2, 0 KOs) UD 6 -Welterweights
- Jordan Simpson (1-0, 1 KO) def. Michael McDonald (0-2, 0 KOs) TKO 4 - Junior middleweights
- Kashad Elliott (9-0, 7 KOs) def. Jean Pierre Valencia (4-1-1, 2 KOs) SD - middleweights
- Dennis Thompson (12-0, 6 KOs) def. Jose Casillas (7-2-1, 4 KOs) - Super bantamweights
Results
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