Vito Mielnicki, Zaquin Moses score impressive wins at Prudential Center
NEWARK — Two of New Jersey’s brightest young fighters made the most of their home-state showcase Friday night at Prudential Center.
Vito Mielnicki Jr. scored one of the most significant victories of his career, dominating former world title challenger Austin “Ammo” Williams by unanimous decision in the middleweight co-feature, while Newark native Zaquin Moses celebrated his first professional fight in his hometown with a stoppage victory over Angel Antonio Contreras.
All three judges scored the fight 98-91 for Mielnicki, who improved to 24-1 with 13 knockouts. Williams fell to 20-3 with 13 knockouts.
For Mielnicki, 24, of Roseland, the victory represented a significant step forward in his pursuit of a middleweight world title.
Williams entered as the most accomplished opponent Mielnicki had faced. The 30-year-old Houston native had previously challenged Carlos Adames for the WBC middleweight title and had also lasted 11 rounds with current WBO super middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz. Williams entered Friday ranked in the top 10 by both the WBO and WBC, while Mielnicki was ranked among the top 10 by all four major sanctioning organizations.
Instead, it was Mielnicki who left little doubt on the scorecards, sweeping all three judges’ cards by the same seven-point margin. The fight looked to be over in the first round, when Mielnicki countered a left hand from Williams with a right and a left to score a hard knockdown, and continued to pour on the punishment through the early and middle rounds before Williams staged a comeback in the seventh and eighth rounds. Mielnicki, though bloodied through his nose, took control in the final two rounds.
The fight marked Mielnicki’s sixth appearance at Prudential Center, where he made his professional debut as a 17-year-old in July of 2019. It was also his first fight since signing with Matchroom Boxing, which co-promotes him alongside Boxlab Promotions.
The victory extended Mielnicki’s winning streak to 16 fights since his lone defeat, a majority decision loss to James Martin in 2021.
Friday’s performance should only strengthen his position in a middleweight division where he entered the weekend ranked as high as No. 3 by the WBO.
Earlier in the evening, Moses gave his hometown fans something to celebrate.
The 21-year-old southpaw improved to 8-0 with four knockouts after stopping veteran Angel Antonio Contreras at the conclusion of the fifth round of their scheduled eight-round junior lightweight bout.
The fight was significant for Moses beyond simply preserving his unbeaten record. It was his first professional appearance in Newark and his first bout scheduled for eight rounds.
Moses, a cousin of three-division world champion Shakur Stevenson, turned professional in November of 2024 after an accomplished amateur career and quickly emerged as one of Matchroom Boxing’s most highly regarded young prospects. He had already fought twice over six rounds in 2026 before making the step up in distance Friday.
The wins by Moses and Mielnicki provided a distinctly local flavor to Matchroom Boxing’s first promotion at Prudential Center, on a card broadcast in the United States by TNT, truTV and DAZN.