Vito Mielnicki Jr. has his next fight confirmed against Kamil Gardzielik at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on June 21. The pair square off in a 10-round middleweight bout, headlining a Top Rank card live on ESPN+. The vacant WBO “Global”, USWBC, and USBA belts are up for grabs.
Mielnicki Jr. (20-1-1, 12 KOs) made his 160-pound debut in February, fighting Connor Coyle to a majority draw on the undercard of Denys Berinchyk vs Keyshawn Davis in New York. Last year, the 22-year-old native of Belleville, NJ won three fights, defeating Khalil El Harraz by majority decision, Laszlo Toth via second-round disqualification, and Ronald Cruz by unanimous decision.
Gardzielik (19-0, 4 KOs) from Poland makes his U.S. debut. The unbeaten 32-year-old took a majority decision against Lukasz Barabasz last November and scored a unanimous decision against Pavel Semjonov last April.
“I’m excited to come back to Prudential Center,” Vito Mielnicki Jr. said. “My family, friends, and supporters from home will be there. Every time we fight at Prudential Center, it’s electric. I’ve knocked out all four of my opponents there, and I’m looking to make 5 for 5. I have Polish roots, and it will be a big night for the Polish community to support Damian and myself.”
The co-feature is an all-Polish 10-round heavyweight bout between Damian Knyba and Marcin Siwy. Undefeated Knyba (15-0, 9 KOs) stopped Andrzej Wawrzyk in the third round in February. Unbeaten Siwy (25-0-1, 12 KOs) steps through the ropes for the first time since September 2022, when he fought Kamil Sokolowski to a split draw.
Among the Mielnicki vs Gardzielik undercard bouts, Lorenzo Simpson (15-2, 9 KOs) of Baltimore, MD and William Townsel (8-2, 6 KOs) of Pine Bluff, AR battle it out in an eight-rounder at middleweight. Philadelphia-based LA native Daiyaan Butt (20-2, 10 KOs) and Mike Lee (11-3, 7 KOs) of Jersey City, NJ go head-to-head in an eight-rounder at welterweight.
Plus, Norman Neely (15-1, 10 KOs) of Paterson, NJ and James Willis (6-1-1, 5 KOs) of Roanoke, VA clash in an eight-rounder at heavyweight. Additionally, a four-round welterweight matchup pits Newark’s Muadh Abdus-Salaam (1-1) against Roberto Cantos (1-3) of Melbourne, FL.
Bantamweight Mannie Chance (1-0) of East Orange, NJ and heavyweight Ali Feliz (5-0, 4 KOs) of Danbury, CT are also scheduled to make their ring appearances in their respective four-round and six-round bouts against opponents to be named.
The finalized lineup is expected to be confirmed shortly.