NEWARK – There was such a vigilant sparse crowd at the Vito Mielnicki, Jr.-Nicholas DeLomba fight on FOX PBC Fight Night from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Christmas night that you could hear referee Eric Dali break the fighters throughout the arena.

The 19-year-old Mielnicki (10-1, 7 knockouts) came away with a career-first 10th-round stoppage at 1:49 over DeLomba (16-4, 5 KOs).

“It was a beautiful right hand that hurt him,” Mielnicki said. “He was a tough guy and he made me work all night. At 19-years-old going 10-rounds, I felt great and my wind was great. I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I’m blessed to be in this position and we definitely can’t wait to be back in 2022.

“I just want to keep growing and growing next year. I might get on some undercards next year, or I’d be thrilled to main event here at Prudential Center again.

“I think in this fight I definitely displayed my boxing ability. I was using my feet. Everyone knows me as a puncher and a pressure guy. I was in there with a tough guy and I want to thank him for sharing the ring with me tonight.”

Mielnicki came out patient. He used his jab, and mixed in a quick combination with DeLomba against the ropes. With 1:04 left in the first, the highly partisan Mielnicki crowd began chanting “Let’s go Vito, let’s go Vito,” with a synchronized clap. DeLomba, 31, did manage to finally throw a punch in the last minute of the round.

Welterweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. stopped Nick DeLomba in 10 (Photo by Kate Frese/HBSE)

Five minutes into the fight, Mielnicki had outlanded DeLomba 18-4.

With just under 2:00 left in the third, Mielnicki went on a torrent of blows to DeLomba’s head and body. DeLomba, to his credit, took the barrage, possibly thinking the teenager would outpunch himself.

Mielnicki didn’t.

About 30 seconds later, he sent another wave of shots DeLomba’s way and holding his guard high, DeLomba absorbed them.

In the fourth, DeLomba began to show some fight. The work rate dropped for Mielnicki, possibly worn from the 86 punches he threw in the third. DeLomba nailed Mielnicki with a right to the body, becoming more the stalker. The fourth seemed to awaken DeLomba, because he actually engaged Mielnicki. Maybe agitated, DeLomba had something to say to his younger opponent as the bell ended the fourth.

DeLomba came forward at Mielnicki again in the fifth, making Mielnicki back up. In the sixth, Mielnicki began working the jab. Mielnicki showed good movement and worked angles well, but it was a round in which DeLomba went back into his turtle shell and did little offensively.

In the first time he fought in the ninth round, Mielnicki fell into a pattern of using his jab and popping DeLomba in the face, which was as red as his trunks. DeLomba showed a glimpse of offense in the penultimate round, but could do little to convince anyone he was there just to survive.

With 1:33 left in the fight, Mielnicki plowed DeLomba with a right cross to the jaw, causing DeLomba to reel. Mielnicki jumped on him, when DeLomba’s corner ended it.

The last time featherweights Rajon Chance met Elon De Jesus, their fight ended in a majority six-round draw in September, when Chance was down in the fifth and De Jesus was deducted a point for hitting behind the head in the fourth round.

Both entered the ring undefeated.

Something had to give this time.

That something was De Jesus, courtesy of Chance’s superior handspeed and accuracy in earning a six-round split-decision.

With 1:21 left in the sixth round, De Jesus (3-1-1, 2 KOs) clearly hit Chance low, causing referee Harvey Dock to pause the fight. Chance was the faster fighter, while De Jesus opted to muck it up inside and tried to make it ugly.

Chance (6-0-1, 5 KOs) got the nod by judges Robin Taylor (58-56) and Eugene Grant (59-55), to overrule Lynne Carter (58-56).

“The key to the fight was my jab,” Chance said. “I just had to stick with that throughout the fight and have fun. I stayed much more disciplined and focused than I did in the first fight. I can’t wait to do it again. I’m going to keep building and having fun in 2022.”

In a scheduled six-rounder, Cuban junior middleweight Yoelvis Gomez (5-0, 5 KOs) came out blazing and made fast and easy work of the tough Clay Collard (9-6-3, 4 KOs), stopping him at 2:11 of the first round. It marked the second time Collard had been stopped in his career.

Junior middleweight Yoelvis Gomez celebrates his knockout over Clay Collard (Photo by Kate Frese/HBSE).

“The strategy was to go in there nice and calm, but I felt early that he could not handle my hand speed and power,” Gomez said. “I just got loose and let it go in there. I knew that he was a tough fighter, so I came prepared with this mentality to get the job done. A lot of people say that he beat good fighters, so my only goal was to take him out.”

Junior middleweight Joey Spencer (14-0, 10 KOs) put on a nice display, knocking out Limberth Ponce (18-5, 11 KOs) with a right cross to the jaw at 1:24 of the fifth round of a scheduled eight-rounder.

“He’s a game fighter and he came to win,” said Spencer, who is expecting his first child. “I planned to look sharp and I used my previous experiences to help me in this fight. The punch I needed was there in the end.

“There’s nothing greater than having your first kid. We’re blessed and it’s amazing to be receiving this gift.”

On the early portion of the undercard, welterweight Kenneth Sims, Jr. (17-2-1, 5 KOs) kept himself in the 147-pound picture with a unanimous eight-round decision over previously undefeated Keeshawn Williams (8-1-1, 2 KOs).

Kenneth Sims Jr. decisioned Keeshawn Williams on the undercard from Prudential Center (Kate Frese/HBSE).

In other undercard fights, junior middleweight Travon Marshall (4-0, 3 KOs) stopped Brian Jones (15-13, 9 KOs) at 2:18 of the fourth round, welterweight Michael Anderson (22-3-1, 15 KOs) stopped Noe Lopez (10-5-1, 4 KOs) at :33 of the third round of a scheduled six-rounder, and welterweight Robbie Rose (1-1) spoiled the pro debut of Vincent Gigante (0-1).

Welterweight Dwyke Flemmings (1-0, 1 KO) did have a super debut, stopping George Gethers (0-3, 0 KOs) at 1:43 of the first round. Junior welterweight Elijah Flores also had a good pro debut, stopping Shannon Hawkins (0-3) in the second round of a scheduled four-rounder.

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been working for Ring Magazine/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on twitter @JSantoliquito.

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