NEW JERSEY super-welterweight hope Vito Mielnicki Jr, 17-1 (12), will get his first taste of action in 2024 on a very special event.
The 21-year-old will pit his wits against 32-year-old Ronald Cruz, 19-3-1 (12), on the Canelo Alvarez-Jaime Munguia undercard at the T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas on May 4 (Cinco De Mayo).
Cruz picked up a seven (yes, seven) round points win in El Salvador in December 2023 to end a run of three fights without a victory. One of those defeats came against Puerto Rican hope Xander Zayas in June 2023.
This will not be Mielnicki’s first taste of fighting in Sin City, however, having boxed four times on Vegas cards such as Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury 2 and Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia. Premier Boxing Champions clearly have a lot of belief in the 6ft contender who is still learning on the job, somewhat.
Mielnicki, nicknamed ‘White Magic’, has been on a nine-fight winning streak since tasting defeat for the first time in April 2021 against James Martin. The eight-round points loss was attributed to a lack of preparation, something that he has vowed never to repeat. Trained by Ronnie Shields in Houston, Mielnicki also has the backing of PBC and is now in the WBA top 10 rankings at number seven.
The super-welterweight division has been the talk of the sport this week with the announcement that WBA champion Israil Madrimov will defend his championship against pound-for-pound number one Terence Crawford on August 3. Elsewhere on the card at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles Tim Tszyu backs up his mantra of having the toughest fights by facing unbeaten hot-shot Vergil Ortiz Jr in a sure-fire edge of the seat slugfest. Ortiz must first beat Thomas Dulorme on Saturday night (April 27) to ensure his trip to Los Angeles goes ahead.
Mielnicki has a long way to go before mixing it with such talented and dangerous fighters but picking up on wins on the biggest cards in the sport will do him no harm at all.