New Jersey Rising Star Vito Mielnicki Jr. & U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson Join Sandy Ryan-Mikaela Mayer Card
September 27: New Jersey Standout Vito Mielnicki Jr. & U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson Added to Sandy Ryan-Mikaela Mayer Card at The Theater at Madison Square Garden
Dominican contenders Rohan Polanco and Elvis Rodriguez are scheduled to return in separate bouts
NEW YORK CITY (Aug. 19, 2024) – A promising junior middleweight hailing from the Garden State is set to create sparks during his debut at Madison Square Garden.
Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. is set to square off against the once-defeated Romanian fighter Daniel Buciuc in a 10-round showdown on Friday, September 27, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden.
This matchup between Mielnicki and Buciuc will be part of an impressive undercard streamed on ESPN+, which is headlined by the WBO welterweight championship bout featuring reigning titleholder Sandy Ryan and the former unified junior lightweight champion Mikaela Mayer.
In addition to Mielnicki-Buciuc, the co-main attraction will see the rising Puerto Rican star Xander Zayas take on Mexican challenger Damian Sosa in a 10-round contest, while Brooklyn's own featherweight Bruce “Shu Shu” Carrington will kick off the ESPN-televised tripleheader in a 10-round fight against Sulaiman Segawa.
The anticipated card, including Ryan-Mayer, Zayas-Sosa, and Carrington-Segawa, will be broadcast live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
Organized by Top Rank in partnership with Matchroom Boxing, tickets will be available starting Wednesday, August 21, at noon ET through Ticketmaster.com.
Mielnicki (19-1, 13 KOs), a four-time Junior National Golden Gloves champion, turned professional in July 2019 at the age of 17, making his debut on a Top Rank on ESPN event in Newark, New Jersey. He made an immediate impact with a first-round knockout and racked up a record of 5-0 before graduating high school in 2020. After suffering a majority decision loss to James Martin in his ninth matchup, Mielnicki bounced back strongly, securing 10 straight victories and capturing three regional titles. He now trains in Houston with Ronnie Shields and began his 2024 season with a unanimous decision victory over Ronald Cruz in May before signing with Top Rank in June. In his most recent fight, he scored a second-round stoppage against Laszlo Toth, with the bout concluding via disqualification after Toth's corner entered the ring following a knockdown. Buciuc (13-1, 5 KOs) has won two fights since a decision loss to Ermal Hadribeaj in a challenge for the WBC International junior middleweight title.
The ESPN+-streamed undercard will also mark the return of U.S. Olympian Tiger Johnson, who will elevate his competition by facing Puerto Rico’s Yomar Alamo in an eight-round junior welterweight match.
Johnson (13-0, 6 KOs) has already appeared twice at The Theater this year, achieving a first-round stoppage over Paulo Galdino in February followed by a decision win against Tarik Zaina in June. Alamo (22-2-1, 13 KOs) managed to drop future world champion Liam Paro in the first round before losing a split decision in December 2021. After experiencing a TKO defeat to top contender Richardson Hitchins in November 2022, Alamo has bounced back this year with victories over Adriano Porfirio Ramirez in February and Jayson Velez in July.
Additionally, fans will see two top junior welterweight contenders from the Dominican Republic in separate 10-round fights.
Rohan Polanco (13-0, 8 KOs), a Tokyo Olympian, is set to face off against Argentina’s Marcelino Lopez (37-4-1, 22 KOs). Polanco has maintained an undefeated record in 2023 after signing with Top Rank, including handing Zaina his first professional loss in March and securing a second-round stoppage of Luis Hernandez in June. Lopez, who had an impressive five-fight knockout streak from 2017 to 2021, returned in 2023 after decision losses to Orestes Velazquez in March and Zaina in November.
Elvis “The Dominican Kid” Rodriguez (16-1-1, 13 KOs), trained by Freddie Roach, will compete against seasoned Mexican American fighter Kendo Castañeda (21-6, 9 KOs). Rodriguez is currently on an outstanding five-fight winning streak, which includes a decision win over Joseph Adorno and a seventh-round TKO of former world champion Viktor Postol. Castañeda boasts an extensive career that spans nearly 12 years, having faced notable opponents like Jose Zepeda, Josue Vargas, and Raul Curiel.
Rising bantamweight talent Floyd “Cashflow” Diaz (12-0, 3 KOs) will go toe-to-toe with Mario Hernandez (12-4-1, 4 KOs) in an eight-round bout. Diaz has registered points victories against Edwin Rodriguez in March and Francisco Pedroza in June.
Top heavyweight prospect Ali Feliz (3-0, 2 KOs), hailing from Danbury, Connecticut, is set to clash with Rashad Coulter (5-4, 3 KOs) in a six-round match.
