Vito Mielnicki Jr. and Kamil Gardzielik previewed their bout and went face-to-face at the press conference. The two middleweights square off in the 10-round main event at Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on June 21.
Mielnicki Jr. (20-1-1, 12 KOs) of Belleville, NJ is coming off a majority draw with Connor Coyle in February. Poland’s Gardzielik (19-0, 4 KOs) makes his U.S. and international debut.
“We’ve put together a great game plan,” Vito Mielnicki Jr. said at the press conference on Thursday. “I remember coming here as a kid to watch Tomasz Adamek at Prudential Center. And I’m just excited to be here. I’m living my dream.”
“I take things fight by fight. I’m just excited about Saturday night. I had a great training camp. I have a great opponent in front of me.”
“He’s coming to win. I’m coming to win. But rest assured, I’m coming to dominate.”
Kamil Gardzielik said, “I had a perfect camp, a great camp with my coach and my sparring partners. I have a tough opponent in front of me. But I’m ready. I’ve been training for this moment, and I’m ready to take advantage of this opportunity.”
“I was able to watch his last fight. I was watching it live on TV. That’s how I got to know him.”
“It was an amazing back-and-forth fight. It ended up being a draw. I don’t want to give my opinion on who I thought won because that’s not what I’m here for. But I really enjoyed the fight. It was a good scrap.”
Jahi Tucker faces Lorenzo Simpson in co-feature
The press conference also featured the fighters battling it out on the undercard. The co-feature pits Jahi Tucker of Queens, NY against Lorenzo Simpson of Baltimore, MD.
Tucker (14-1-1, 6 KOs) and Simpson (15-2, 9 KOs), who previously shared the ring during sparring, now look to square their differences in a 10-round bout at middleweight.
“All that sparring s**t is going to the side,” Jahi Tucker said. “On Saturday, I’m putting belts to a** on ESPN+. Make sure ya’ll tune in. This guy is cooked. He’s cooked.”
“After all of this is set and done, I want all of you to ask him, ‘What did you think about the fight?’ I want to hear what he says after.”
“This is not going to be a good fight. It’s going to be a massacre.”
Lorenzo Simpson said, “This Saturday is going to be action-packed. I feel great. I’m excited. I’m just happy to be here.”
“Everybody that was there for the sparring is here now. Ask them what happened. Every time he comes to the gym he don’t be doin’ nothin’ to nobody.”
“You a great? What style do you have? If you try any of that goofy s**t, I’m putting you out.”
Damian Knyba vs Marcin Siwy tops Mielnicki-Gardzielik undercard
The all-Polish bout between Damian Knyba (15-0, 9 KOs) and Marcin Siwy (25-0-1, 12 KOs) tops the Mielnicki vs Gardzielik undercard. The match is scheduled for 10 rounds at heavyweight.
“I’m excited to be in this step-up fight against an undefeated opponent,” Damian Knyba said. “I know we’re going to put on a show for the fans.”
“My opponent has a great record and a ton of experience. He has a lot more experience than I do. This will show that I’m ready.”
Marcin Siwy said, “I came to put on a show. I came to win. And we’re definitely going to give a good fight.”
“There’s no bad blood between us. We’ve seen each other at a couple of shows in Poland. We gave each other a handshake. But that was the extent of it. No bad blood.”
Among other bouts featured on the Mielnicki vs Gardzielik undercard, unbeaten Brandun Lee (29-0, 23 KOs) of Yuba City, CA takes on Argentina’s Elias Damian Araujo (22-5, 9 KOs) in an eight-rounder at super lightweight. Plus, Dwyke Flemmings Jr. (10-0, 9 KOs) of Paterson, NJ and Demian Daniel Fernandez (15-6, 5 KOs) of Argentina go head-to-head in an eight-rounder at super welterweight.