Tag Archives: Vito

Posted on 02/28/2020

In an interview on Boxing Insider Radio, young Vito Mielnicki sat down with the crew to discuss his recent performance and his fast rise up the boxing charts. Boxing Insider Radio provides fans with the sort of content they won’t be able to find anywhere else with tons of high profile guests every week. To tune into the discussion that airs every Tuesday, simply subscribe at iTunes, Spotify or on Boxinginsider.com.

What are the characteristics of a superhero? 

Sure they are often young, strong and seemingly unbeatable. But they also have an alter ego as well. In the case of Superman, his alter ego was the meek and unassuming Clark Kent. Spiderman on the other hand, often walked around as the frail and seemingly always happy Peter Parker.

Not many of us have to assume this role. Who we are throughout our normal everyday lives is just fine. 

For young boxing prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr however, he has no choice but to have an alter ego of his own. 

From the outside looking in, Mielnicki seems like your typical kid. He currently attends West Essex High School, in New Jersey. The high school senior gives off the impression that he enjoys what normal kids his age does. Hanging around friends, going to class, goofing off and playing sports. 

Nothing about Mielnicki would suggest that he isn’t out of the ordinary. Yet, once you take a deep dive into his life, you quickly find out that he is far from that. 

At the age of 17, Mielnicki decided it was time to get a job. No, he did not choose to flip burgers at your local fast food place like normal teenagers. He also did not want to try his hand at retail as well. Instead, Mielnicki jumped into the one and only profession he had his eyes on since he was a young kid. Professional boxing. 

Yes, when Mielnicki isn’t busy in the classroom studying he’s in the boxing gym working on his craft. 

In a sport that is often times dominated and headlined by grown men, Mielnicki has found a way to carve out his niche. Starting a career at such a young age would lead to criticism and second thoughts, but after an undefeated start through five fights with three of those wins coming via knockout, he quickly proved that he made the right choice. 

In Mielnicki’s most recent ring appearance, he stepped onto the biggest stage of his young career. 

On February 22nd, 2020 at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mielnicki was given a spot on the undercard of the Heavyweight mega showdown between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder. His opponent would be Corey Champion on the night. 

The main event of this card has reportedly received close to one million pay-per-view buys. That number alone would make just about any other fighter do back flips due to the exposure, but not Mielnicki. He may only be 17 years of age, but this isn’t his first time on the pay-per-view stage. 

Fighters have gone their entire careers without making it on the pay-per-view platform. Yet, Mielnicki has already gotten there on multiple occasions. So what is the exact words that best describes how he feels about his current situation? 

Blessed.

“I want to thank Al Haymon for continuing to put me on the biggest stage possible,” said Mielnicki on Boxing Insider Radio. “I’ve already fought on two pay-per-view cards. I’m just blessed with where I’m at in my career. To be on that kind of card where it was one of the most anticipated cards for years prior to that and years to come so I’m truly blessed.”

In terms of one day headlining his own pay-per-view, Mielnicki is still a long way away from pulling that off. But if he continues to put on the sort of performances that he did this past Saturday night, then it might happen much sooner than he realizes.

“It was a good fight for me and the atmosphere was crazy in the arena to say the least. It felt like the place was going to collapse, that’s how loud it was in there. It was just another great experience for my career overall. I dominated the fight so I felt great.”

Boxing wouldn’t quite be what it is if there weren’t any comparisons. It isn’t simply about winning. The bigger goal is to do so in impressive fashion. When Mielnicki signed up to take on Corey Champion, he did so knowing that one of his good friends already did. The undefeated Xander Zayas. The aforementioned Zayas looked impressive in his win over Champion, but one could argue that Mielnicki out performed him on the night. 

The two are undoubtedly good friends and exceptional boxers. It might be a tad bit too early in their careers, but if all goes well, that could be a huge fight down the line.

For now however, Mielnicki just wants them both to succeed.

“Me and Xander finished off our amateur careers together. We’re close friends and actually we were on the Jr USA team together in Colorado Springs. We got a chance to be roommates together. He’s doing great and I’m doing great so it’s great to see us both succeeding right now in the pros.”

Mielnicki is doing more than just succeeding. He is slowly building up his profile and his name. All of the hard work that he has placed in the gym has helped lead him to where he is today but he can’t take all of the credit for the prosperity that he is enjoying. The high school Senior fully understands that he wouldn’t be where he is today if it wasn’t for the help of many people behind the scenes. Including his manager.

“Ever since me and my manager Anthony Catanzaro got together he has been helping my career. He’s just the perfect guy for me. That’s the reason why I chose him as my manager. He furthers my career and gives me nothing but positives.”

For now, Mielnicki doesn’t have a fight lined up but he expects to get the call soon. But until then, he spends his time both in the gym working on his boxing abilities and in the classroom trying to keep his grades up. 

Posted on 07/17/2019

By: Hans Themistode

The sport of boxing is always in search for its next big star. This past Saturday night on July 13th, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, it may have found exactly who it was looking for.

Vito Mielnicki Jr. stole the show on the same card that featured another rising star in the making in Shakur Stevenson. Mielnicki made a sensational pro debut as he scored a jaw dropping first round knockout against Tamarcus Smith.

Smith, admittingly enough, has only two wins in his career with three losses. So why exactly is the sports world buzzing from what Mielnicki did on Saturday night? With his win, he became the youngest professional boxer in the sport of New Jersey, at just 17 years of age.

It wasn’t just that he scored a knockout win, but it was how he pulled it off. It was a right hand that was the last punch of a three hit combination that had his man down and out.

The 17 year old nicknamed, “White Magic” showed exactly why there has been so much hype surrounding him. As for his emotions after the contest, he was ecstatic about the win.

“It was exactly how I envisioned it. With the crowd and everything, it made it a lot more electric,” recalled Mielnicki. “I worked for this my whole life, and I knew everything was going to payoff tonight.”

For those who are wondering why isn’t this young kid at home doing homework and studying. It’s because he is currently on Summer vacation. It’s safe to say he’s enjoying every bit of it.

“I go back to school in September. I will consult with my manager Anthony Catanzaro and see what the best fit is for me in terms of a promoter and platform.”

With a performance like that, he is sure to have a line a mile long, as potential promoters will be clamoring to get their hands on him. Calling him a star might be a tad too early, but he just might end up being something special.