Matthew Griego, Vito Mielnicki Jr. earn wins in Albuquerque

Flyweight Matthew Griego won an eight-round unanimous decision over late replacement Gilberto Mendoza on Saturday in the main undercard bout at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

All three judges scored it 80-72 for Griego.

Griego (15-0, 10 KOs) was initially scheduled to face undefeated New Mexican Abraham Perez (10-0, 5 KOs), who won the 2019 Olympic trials. Perez was hospitalized after a near-fatal incident on Aug. 2, during which he nearly drowned during a breathing-control exercise in his family’s swimming pool and was placed on life support. Mendoza (23-19-4, 11 KOs) stepped in on short notice.

In a rematch of their 2022 fight in Albuquerque, the 34-year-old Mendoza proved to be a tough opponent. Griego, 28, injured his right hand early in the fight but persevered. He sought to finish the bout in the eighth round, as Mendoza appeared worn down from Griego’s punches, but he couldn’t pull off the finish. 

Griego landed 134 of 297 punches, according to CompuBox statistics, while Mendoza landed 51 of 273.

Junior middleweight Vito Mielnicki Jr., in his Top Rank debut, secured a second-round disqualification victory against Laszlo Toth.

After a tentative opening round, Mielnicki (19-1, 12 KOs) dropped Toth (32-9-2, 20 KOs) with a right hand, followed by a disorienting left hook that sent Toth to the canvas. Upon standing, Toth, a 36-year-old from Sopron, Hungary, struggled to regain his footing. His father and trainer, Laszlo Toth Sr., entered the ring, prompting referee Wes Melton to immediately disqualify Toth, at 1:39 in the second round.

Mielnicki, a 22-year-old from Roseland, New Jersey, is now on an 11-fight win streak since his lone loss to James Martin in 2021 in Los Angeles.

Undefeated featherweight Albert Gonzalez of Moreno Valley, California, secured a technical knockout over Damian Alcala of Tijuana, Mexico, at 2:51 of the third round.

Gonzalez (10-0, 6 KOs), a 22-year-old trained by Robert Garcia and nicknamed “Chop Chop,” lived up to his moniker by systematically breaking down his 30-year-old opponent Alcala (8-5, 2 KOs), who struggled to contend with Gonzalez’s subtle feints and effective use of distance, which were anchored by a strong jab. Gonzalez dropped Alcala in the third round with a well-timed right hand, following up with a relentless assault. A left hook to Alcala’s head ultimately floored him, prompting referee Rocky Burke to stop the bout.

Although Gonzalez’s style differs from that of Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, he showcased elite traits in dismantling a seasoned veteran like Alcala, such as accurate punching, that could draw comparisons.

Lightweight Alan Garcia stopped Maickol Lopez Villagrana in the third round via technical knockout. The bout was ended at 2:34 of the round.

Garcia (14-0, 11 KOs) landed an overhand right to the head of Villagrana (16-5, 8 KOs) before following up with a right hook to the body that forced him to take a knee. Garcia then delivered another right hook to the body, sending Villagrana, 28, from Mexicali, Mexico, to the canvas once more.

While Garcia broke down his opponent effectively, he also absorbed some counterpunches, prompting his coach, Gloria Alvarado, to urge him to calm down as the fighter was at times trying to force the knockout. Despite those moments, Garcia, a 21-year-old from Ulysses, Kansas, used his physicality as a decisive weapon.

Bantamweight Steven Navarro, of Inglewood, California, secured a first-round technical knockout over Israel Camacho of Houston. The bout ended at 2:14 of the opening round.

The 20-year-old Navarro (3-0, 2 KOs) dropped Camacho (2-12) with a right hook to the body, initially celebrating what he thought was a knockout. However, Camacho, 28, rose to continue at the count of nine, only to be floored again by a series of punches, including a finishing left hook to the body. Camacho remained on the canvas for a considerable time after the fight was stopped.

In the opening bout, featherweight Arnold Khegai (22-1-1, 14 KOs) of Odessa, Ukraine, stopped Belmar Preciado (22-8-1, 15 KOs) of Ibague, Colombia, at the end of the eighth round after Preciado informed trainer Eddie Gonzalez that he could no longer continue.

Trained by Marvin Somodio, Khegai, 32, dominated the fight, systematically breaking down Preciado, 36, who was tough but unable to endure six more minutes of one-sided punishment.

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.