Connor Coyle D10 Vito Mielnicki... In the opening bout of Top Rank’s ESPN-televised Valentine’s Day card from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. and Ireland’s Connor “The Kid” Coyle battled to an exciting and grueling ten-round draw in the middleweight division. The bout featured plenty of action and ebbs-and-flows. Mielnicki Jr.’s best moments came when he was boxing from the outside while Coyled did his best to close the gap. After a good start by Mielnicki Jr., 159.4 pounds, sticking to the midsection, Coyle, 158, picked up the pace applying pressure and landing in combination. Just as it seemed Coyle would take over, Roseland, New Jersey’s Mielnicki made an adjustment and used his footwork and stiff jab to control the action. Coyle’s left eye was cut and began to swell in the fourth, but it never seemed to affect his performance. The second half, however, saw both fighters standing shoulder-to-shoulder trading their best leather. Rounds where Coyle started strong, Mielnicki Jr. finished as the aggressor, particularly the eighth and ninth. Mielnicki Jr. appeared to edge the victory in the tenth and final frame, landing the better punches. The close nature of the battle was echoed by the judges on two tallies of 95-95 and 96-94 for Mielnicki Jr., who moved up to middleweight for this bout. Mielnicki Jr. is now 20-1-1 with 12 KOs, while Coyle is 21-0-1 with 9 KOs.
Juan Carlos Guerra W6 Nico Ali Walsh... Muhammad Ali’s grandson Nico Ali Walsh, 157.2 pounds., of Las Vegas, opened up the card against Chicago’s Juan Carlos “El Fresero” Guerra Jr., 157.8, in a scheduled six-rounder. When Ali Walsh entered the ring, he ended an eight-month layoff casued by a shoulder injury suffered in his last bout. Ali Walsh did his best work from a distance, either jabbing to keep his adversary at bay or landing the occasional hook-combination. Guerra applied pressure throughout the contest and often found success landing his overhand right. When in close, Guerra added uppercuts to his attack. Perhaps sensing his was down on the cards, Ali Walsh increased his punch output in the final three minutes digging to the body. Guerra won by split decision, All three judges scored the bout 58-56, with two votes in favor of Guerra Jr., now 6-1-1 (2 KOs). Suffering his second defeat, Ali Walsh’s record dipped to 10-2 (5 KOs).
ADDITIONAL RESULTS
Juanma “Juanmita” Lopez de Jesus, 113.8 lbs., a 2024 Puerto Rican Olympian and the son of two-time, two-division world champion Juanma Lopez, made his professional debut with a first-round stoppage victory against Bryan “el Chanito” Santiago, 113.6 lbs., of Weslaco, TX, as part of Top Rank’s Valentine’s Day event held at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Santiago left the ring at 1-2-1. Time of the stoppage was 0:59 of the frame.
Coming off of a tough outing in November in which he was dropped twice, Cleveland, OH, southpaw Abdullah Mason, 136.2 lbs., overwhelmed Manuel Jaimes, 137 lbs., of Stockton, CA, in an eight-round lightweight bout. A sharp left hook near the end of the first frame wobbled Jaimes. A short right hook early in round two sent Jaimes to his knees for a knockdown. A left hook-right-hook combination floored Jaimes a second time in round three. Mason scored two more knockdowns in the fourth to end the contest at the 1:55 mark. Mason upped his record to 17-0 (15 KOs). Suffering his first defeat by stoppage, Jaimes went home with a 16-3-1 (11 KOs) record. As an accomplished amateur, Mason won the National Junior Championships, the USA Boxing Youth National Title, as well as the Eastern Regional Open Junior Open twice each, finishing with a 65-15 record.
Rohan “El Rayo” Polanco, 146.4 lbs., a 2020 Dominican Olympian from Santo Domingo, felled Jean Carlos “Lobo” Torres, 147 lbs., of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, for a flash knockdown in the opener of their scheduled 10-rounder. Torres arose was met with an onslaught from Polanco for the remainder of the stanza. A left hook upstairs put Torres down again in round two. Though he arose, Torres absorbed further punishment until referee Eddie Claudio stopped the bout at the 1:48 mark. Polanco improved to 15-0 (10 KOs). Torres is now 22-2 (17 KOs).
In his second professional bout, six-foot-three welterweight prospect Keon “The Juice Man” Davis, 149.2 lbs., Keyshawn Davis’ younger brother from Norfolk, VA, halted Ira “Scrappy” Johnson, 148.2 lbs., of Kansas City, MO, inside two frames. An Olympic Trials champion as an amateur, Davis started fast landing a stiff jab and quick hooks downstairs. In round two, the body attack weakened Johnson and forced him to take a knee. A follow-up barrage put Johnson down on a knee a second time for the full count. Time of the stoppage was 1:38 of the round. Davis improved to 2-0 (1 KO), while Johnson left the ring at 3-3 (2 KOs).
