Junior middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr. won a majority decision over Khalil El Harraz in the marquee undercard bout Friday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Mielnicki (20-1, 12 KOs), ranked No. 4 by the WBA, was tested by Italy’s 33-year-old El Harraz (16-6-1, 2 KOs), who employed a patient counterpunching strategy, limiting Mielnicki’s options.
At the end of 10 rounds, judges scored the fight 95-95, 100-90 and 98-92 in favor of Mielnicki.
The first two rounds saw Mielnicki, a 22-year-old who fights out of Roseland, New Jersey, show superior athleticism, but El Harraz began to find his rhythm, landing a few right hands. Mielnicki maintained distance, fighting a calculated and patient bout, but El Harraz’s educated pressure made it clear he was there to win.
Mielnicki’s best work came at the end of the third round with a series of body shots. By the fourth, Mielnicki was more active, but El Harraz had already taken the crowd (many there to see the local favorite Mielnicki) out of the fight. The fifth round slowed to a sparring-like pace, with both fighters landing shots but neither seizing control.
El Harraz landed his best punch, an overhand right, in the sixth round, but the fight lacked intensity as it moved into the later rounds. In the final round, the crowd chanted “Let’s go Vito,” as both fighters had their moments. The overall pace, however, remained sluggish.
Mielnicki has called for a bout with fellow Top Rank middleweight Xander Zayas, who fought in the co-feature. Despite Mielnicki’s solid win, his performance fell short of igniting the crowd, as El Harraz proved to be a tough, durable opponent who had never been stopped – and which didn’t change on this night.
Bantamweight Floyd Diaz (13-0, 3 KOs) outlasted Mario Hernandez (12-5-1, 4 KOs), winning a unanimous decision with scores of 78-73, 78-73 and 77-74. Diaz, 21, nicknamed “Cashflow,” is a longtime Las Vegas resident, while Hernandez, 33, hails from Teocaltiche, Mexico.
Diaz has undergone significant changes in his training. No longer working with his father, Mike Diaz, he has transitioned from Brian “BoMac” McIntyre to now training with Cromwell Gordon, with assistance from his girlfriend, professional boxer Czarina McCoy.
In the ring, Diaz fought with composure, as the pressure fighter Hernandez continuously moved forward. Diaz landed sharp counters in the second round but found himself on the ropes toward the round’s end. Hernandez pressed forward, landing a solid right hand in the third, as Diaz retreated and focused on landing precise counters and pot shots. The clash of styles made for a unique fight, with Diaz relying on accuracy while Hernandez sought to overwhelm him with aggression.
Diaz dropped Hernandez in the fifth round with a counter right uppercut, leaving him visibly rocked. Though Hernandez beat the count, he was staggered twice more before the round ended.
In the final round, Diaz’s mouthpiece came out during an exchange, and after the break Hernandez pushed hard to the final bell – but it wasn’t enough to turn the tide.
Junior welterweight Elvis Rodriguez (17-1-1, 13 KOs) secured a unanimous decision victory over veteran Kendo Castaneda (21-7, 9 KOs), with scores of 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91.
Rodriguez, 28, trained by Freddie Roach in Hollywood, California, found himself in a tentative bout with the 30-year-old Castaneda, from San Antonio. Known for their action-packed styles, both fighters started cautiously, with the pace ramping up by the end of the second round as Rodriguez’s left hand became a key weapon. A left hook to the body in the third round set the tone for Rodriguez, who systematically targeted Castaneda’s body throughout the fight.
Normally a pressure fighter, Castaneda was on the back foot for most of the fourth round. He attempted to press forward in the fifth, but a sharp right uppercut from Rodriguez in the final minute forced him back and opened a cut under his left eye.
The eighth round saw the fighters exchange punches up close, though the pace of the bout, which was never fast, slowed even further. Castaneda landed a right hand that briefly got the attention of Rodriguez, who responded aggressively. Rodriguez attempted to pick up the pace in the ninth, but despite a strong left hook to Castaneda’s body in the final round, he couldn’t put together enough punches to score a stoppage.
Junior welterweight Delante “Tiger” Johnson (14-0, 6 KOs) earned a unanimous decision victory over Puerto Rico’s Yomar Alamo (22-3-1, 13 KOs). Johnson, 26, from Cleveland, was tested by the 29-year-old Alamo. The judges scored the bout 78-74, 78-74 and 77-75 in favor of Johnson.
Alamo landed a glancing right hand in the second round that forced Johnson to tie up until the bell. Johnson rallied in the third, though Alamo continued pressing forward, making the round difficult to score. In the fourth, Alamo tested Johnson’s power, staying aggressive and forcing exchanges. The fifth round saw both fighters trade punches at close range, with Johnson landing the cleaner shots in a rough, grueling contest.
By the sixth, Johnson showed signs of wear with an abrasion under his left eye. In the final round, Alamo threw more punches and appeared confident in victory, but Johnson’s effective counterpunching secured the win.
In the opening bout, junior welterweight Rohan Polanco (14-0, 9 KOs), fighting at welterweight, stopped Marcelino Lopez (37-5-1, 22 KOs) in the sixth round at 2:08.
Polanco, 25, a 2020 Olympian from the Dominican Republic who trains with Hector Bermudez, beat down Argentina’s 38-year-old Lopez en route to an impressive victory. A left hook to the body hurt Lopez in the second round, forcing him on the defensive. Polanco dropped Lopez with a perfectly timed right uppercut at the end of the third and even helped him back to his corner after the bell rang.
In the fourth, an overhand right – partially blocked by Lopez – caused him to take a knee. The sixth round saw Lopez stumble from another overhand right, forcing him to take another knee. Referee Eddie Claudio halted the fight after Lopez took several more punches and went down again.
Before the bout, Lopez had never been knocked down or stopped in a fight.
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.
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