Exciting rising prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr. will return to action facing Limberth Ponce in an 8/10-round super welterweight showdown that headlines PBC Prelims on FS2 and FOX Deportes this Saturday, October 15 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The FS2 telecast begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and also features unbeaten top lightweight contender Michel Rivera battling California’s Jerry Pérez in an eight-round matchup, and undefeated heavyweight Gurgen Hovhannisyan in an eight-round showdown against Bronx-native Michael Coffie that kicks off the telecast.
Prelims will precede a FOX Sports PBC Pay-Per-View event at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT headlined by the return of boxing superstar and former longtime heavyweight world champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder as he takes on hard-hitting Robert “The Nordic Nightmare” Helenius in a WBC Heavyweight Title Eliminator.
Tickets for the event, which is promoted by BombZquad Promotions and TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through seatgeek.com and barclayscenter.com. Tickets are also available for purchase in-person at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center.
Representing Roseland, New Jersey, Mielnicki (12-1, 8 KOs) returns to fight at Barclays Center for the second-straight fight after stopping Jimmy Williams in six-rounds in July. The 20-year-old will look to add a third victory to his 2022 record, after kicking the year off with a unanimous decision over Dan Karpency in April. Mielnicki first turned heads during his exceptional amateur career where he compiled a 147-22 record and was named the Most Outstanding Boxer of the 2011 Junior National Golden Gloves, amongst many accolades before turning pro.
Born in Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, Ponce (19-5, 11 KOs) fights out of Rock Island, Illinois throughout his pro career that dates back to 2012. The 31-year-old won eight of nine fights before dropping a December 2021 bout against unbeaten Joey Spencer. Most recently, Ponce scored a unanimous decision over Ramiro Hernandez in May.
Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and now fighting out of Miami, Fla. Rivera (23-0, 14 KOs) burst onto the scene in 2019, making his U.S. debut with a victory over Rene Tellez Giron. The 24-year-old continued his ascent with five more victories in 2020 and 2021 including knockouts of Jon Fernandez and Anthony Mercado. Most recently Rivera dominated the previously unbeaten Joseph Adorno on his way to a unanimous decision in March.
Trained alongside four-division champion Leo Santa Cruz and his family, Pérez (14-1, 11 KOs) bounced back from an April 2021 defeat against top lightweight contender Frank Martin by knocking out Erick Lanzas Jr. in May. The 29-year-old from Oak Hills, California had put together a three-fight knockout streak heading into the Martin fight, which included a 2020 KO of then once-beaten Joshua Zuniga.
The 24-year-old Hovhannisyan (3-0, 3 KOs) has delivered three consecutive knockouts since turning pro in September 2021. Originally from Yerevan, Armenia, he now fights out of Los Angeles as he looks to bolster his heavyweight resume. Most recently, Hovhannisyan blasted out Jesse Bryan on his way to a second round knockout in May.
Coffie (13-2, 10 KOs) hopes to continue his climb back to contention after back-to-back defeats to Jonny Rice in July 2021 and January of this year. A Marine Corps veteran who picked up boxing after returning from overseas, Coffie quickly impressed in amateur tournaments enough to earn sparring assignments with Deontay Wilder and Adam Kownacki. He was born in the Bronx, but now trains in Orlando, Florida and most recently knocked out Fulgencio Zuniga in July.
The non-televised undercard lineup will include unbeaten super bantamweight prospects Michael Angeletti (6-0, 5 KOs) and Jeremy Adorno (7-0, 3 KOs) in a six-round showdown, welterweight prospect Keeshawn Williams (9-1-1, 2 KOs) in a six-round matchup against Julio Rosa (5-1, 2 KOs), Cuban heavyweight Geovany Bruzón (7-1, 6 KOs) battling the unbeaten James Evans Jr. (4-0-1, 6 KOs) in a four/six round bout and unbeaten super bantamweight prospect Miguel Román (2-0) taking on fellow unbeaten José Negrete (2-0, 2 KOs).
