Vito Mielnicki Jr. (21-1-1, 12 KOs) looked lackluster, defeating Kamil Gardzielik (19-1, 4 KOs) by an unimpressive 10-round unanimous decision in the main event in a middleweight bout on Saturday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

(Credit: Mikey Williams/Top Rank)

The Top Rank-promoted Mielnicki Jr., 23, dropped Gardzielik in round three with a weak-looking right hand. The Polish fighter wasn’t hurt and got up and easily made it out of the round.

The scores were 100-89, 100-89, and 100-89.

Mielnicki Jr. Power Lacking

Gardzielik showed toughness, taking Mielnicki’s best power shots, and occasionally would answer back with some of his own. He didn’t have a hard time landing on Mielnicki, as his defense was non-existent.

Mielnick’s jab was effective and his best punch in his limited arsenal. He was trying hard to knock out Gardzielik in the championship rounds, but the power wasn’t there in his punches.

There was a lot not to like about Mielnick’s performance, as he lacked the killer instinct required to knock out the vulnerable Gardzielik. His punches lacked the power and speed required to finish off the Polish fighter, who would have been easy work for many of the top-tier middleweights.

Mielnicki’s performance was nowhere near elite-level, and he’s shown no improvement since his draw with Connor Coyle and loss to James Martin. Failing to knock out Gardzielik was an indication that Mielnicki isn’t cut out to be a top 15-level fighter.

It’s unclear if Top Rank is keeping him around, hoping to turn him into a local ticket-seller in New Jersey. That’s the only benefit I could see of them keeping him on board.

There was no word after the fight on who Mielnicki plans to fight next. If Top Rank chooses anyone with a pull in the top tier, Mielnicki will come undone and lose again.

Jahi Tucker Wins 

In the co-feature, middleweight Jahi Tucker (15-1, 6 KOs) defeated Lorenzo Simpson (15-3, 9 KOs) by a tougher-than-expected 10-round unanimous decision. The scores were 97-93, 97-93, and 96-94.