By Jake Donovan
Vito Mielnicki Jr. still doesn’t have his full schedule for his upcoming senior year of high school, but he already has his next fight assignment.
Barely 24 hours after announcing to the world that he’s signed with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), the 17-year old rookie welterweight from Roseland, New Jersey will make his first appearance under its banner on September 28 in Los Angeles, Calif.
“NEXT FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT,” Mielnicki Jr. (1-0, 1KO) alerted his social media followers on Tuesday. “My next fight will be on September 28th at the Staples Center on the undercard of Errol Spence Jr. vs. Shawn Porter. Can’t wait to showcase my talent on this stage!”
Spence and Porter will collide in a welterweight title unification bout which tops the Fox Sports Pay-Per-View event. The lone other bout to have been announced for the card is super middleweight title fight between defending two-time titlist Anthony Dirrell and former title claimant David Benavidez.
Mielnicki's placement on the card is contingent upon getting clearance from the California State Athletic Commission, under whose jurisdiction athletes must be 18 years or older in order to box professionally. Similar restrictions are in place in New Jersey, whose commission granted the one-time concession.
Pending such clearance, plans for his undercard appearance to air live on a Fox Sports platform have yet been announced for the Sept. 28. Given his style, there’s a chance it could make the highlight reel.
As much came of his pro debut, with Mielnicki’s 1st round knockout of Tamarcus Smith taking place on the undercard of an ESPN card in nearby Newark, headlined by local favorite Shakur Stevenson. the bulk of the undercard was streamed by ESPN+, with the cameras rolling long enough for Mielnicki’s knockout to be showcased via highlights on ESPN’s long-running Sportscenter sports news series.
The commitment put forth by PBC in building its brand along with the slew of athletes under its banner leaves Mielnicki and his team confident that his time in the spotlight will come—be it next time out or down the road.
“The resources that PBC has is unprecedented,” Anthony Catanzaro, Mielnicki’s manager insisted to BoxingScene.com. “Terrestrial TV, post-fight shows—all of the shoulder programming and social media presence. They are unmatched across the board.”
It ultimately trumped what Top Rank and ESPN had to offer, as well as that of standalone streaming service DAZN.
“Whether you’re a world champion or just turning pro, if (PBC executives) see something in you, then you’re going to make your way to a televised fight,” notes Mielnicki Jr.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
