This is a big moment for welterweight prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr.
The 19-year-old will face Nicholas DeLomba in his first scheduled 10-rounder in the main event on a special Christmas Day Fox telecast, a prime opportunity for him to show the world what he can do.
And if that’s not enough, Mielnicki (9-1, 6 KOs) will be fighting at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, not far from where he grew up.
“This is a dream come true for me,” he said. “There’s no other way I’d rather spend Christmas. I’m living the dream at 19 years old. I can’t wait to perform in front of a huge audience on Fox.”
DeLomba (16-3, 5 KOs) might be the perfect foil for Mielnicki to deliver a special performance.
The 31-year-old Floridian is a solid, durable boxer but he’s neither super quick nor powerful, which will make it difficult for him to cope with his opponent’s all-around skill set. Plus, he will have been out of the ring for 22 months.
Mielnicki will do well to be as dominating as another prospect was against DeLomba in last fight, a shutout-decision loss to Richardson Hitchins.
“This is my toughest opponent to date, and I’m expecting a tough fight,” Mielnicki said. “You don’t want to miss this one, because we’re definitely delivering fireworks.”
Mielnicki rebounded from his upset majority-decision loss to James Martin in April in Los Angeles by stopping Noah Kidd in two rounds 3½ months later in front of his hometown fans at Prudential Center.
A victory over DeLomba on national television – particularly a spectacular one – would render the Martin setback ancient history.