NEWARK, New Jersey – Vito Mielnicki Jr. got back on the winning track Saturday night, though not against the opponent he wanted to beat.
Mielnicki knocked out Noah Kidd in the second round of a welterweight fight scheduled for eight rounds at Prudential Center. Mielnicki improved to 9-1 and produced his sixth knockout before a loud crowd that mostly came to watch Mielnicki, who resides in nearby Roseland, New Jersey.
The 19-year-old Mielnicki scored a knockdown apiece in the first and second rounds before referee Eric Dali waved an end to a one-sided fight FOX televised at 2:32 of the second round.
Kidd (6-4-2, 5 KOs), of Jefferson City, Missouri, agreed to fight Mielnicki on very short notice, a couple hours before they weighed in Friday afternoon. He lost by knockout for the first time in three years as a pro.
Mielnicki wanted to avenge his first professional loss Saturday night, but James Martin couldn’t come close to making the contracted weight of 147 pounds for their scheduled rematch. Philadelphia’s Martin (7-3, 0 KOs), who upset Mielnicki by majority decision in an eight-rounder FOX televised April 17, instead lost a unanimous decision to Joey Spencer (13-0, 9 KOs) in the eight-round opener of FOX’s telecast Saturday night.
Kidd went down early in the second round, but Dali ruled it was the result of an unintentional foul by Mielnicki. A left hook by Mielnicki made Kidd retrea later in the second round, when Kidd held to survive.
Kidd took a knee toward the end of the second round. That’s when Dali determined Kidd shouldn’t continue.
Kidd landed a left hook that moved Mielnicki backward in the first half of the first round. Kidd connected with a right-left combination inside later in the first round, but Mielnicki responded by dropping Kidd with a left hook.
Mielnicki tried hard to knock out Kidd in that opening round. Kidd managed to survive until the bell sounded to end those opening three minutes, though.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.