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Junior middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. will fulfill a promise to his father on Friday night when he steps into the ring at Madison Square Garden.
Mielnicki (19-1, 12 KOs) is set to face Italy's Khalil El Harraz (16-5-1, 2 KOs) on the undercard at the Theater in Madison Square Garden, New York City.
Mielnicki, who made his Top Rank debut in August with a second-round disqualification win over Laszlo Toth, expressed frustration over the outcome. After knocking down Toth, the fighter's father and trainer entered the ring, leading to the referee’s decision. Mielnicki was disappointed not to record a knockout on his official record.
Now, in his second fight under Top Rank, Mielnicki is ready to fulfill a lifelong dream. He recalled attending a Miguel Cotto-Austin Trout fight at the Garden with his father years ago. “We were here, and I told my dad, ‘I’m going to be here one day. I’m going to fight here one day,’” Mielnicki said. “To be here now, part of this event, it’s truly a blessing.”
The 22-year-old from New Jersey, who trains with Ronnie Shields in Houston, expects strong support from his hometown crowd. “We'll have a bunch of people here too, so it's going to be a great atmosphere, and I’m going to put on a great performance Friday night,” he said.
Mielnicki, currently on an 11-fight win streak, shares the card with fellow Top Rank prospect Xander Zayas, the event’s co-feature. With a history dating back to their amateur days, a future showdown between the two seems possible, especially given their rising profiles. However, Mielnicki remains focused on the task at hand.
“Right now, I’m focused on Friday night, and that's all I'm worried about,” he said. “Obviously, there’s a big fight on the horizon, but Xander and I are cool – great friends. He knows what it is. At the end of the day, business is business.”
Lucas Ketelle is a proud member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and author of “Inside The Ropes of Boxing” (available on Amazon). Contact him on X @LukieBoxing.
