The Prince of New Jersey: Middleweight Contender Vito Mielnicki Jr. Returns Against Kamil Gardzielik June 21 in Garden State Homecoming at Prudential Center LIVE on ESPN+

NEWARK, N.J. (March 31, 2025) — New Jersey-born middleweight phenom Vito “White Magic” Mielnicki Jr. is returning to Brick City.

The Roseland product will face unbeaten Polish-born, Queens-based contender Kamil Gardzielik in the 10-round main event for the vacant WBO Global, USWBC, and USBA titles on Saturday, June 21, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

In the 10-round all-Polish heavyweight co-feature, Damian Knyba takes on fellow unbeaten Marcin Siwy.

Baltimore middleweight Lorenzo “Truck” Simpson (15-2, 8 KOs) looks to impress in an eight-rounder against William Townsel (8-2, 6 KOs).

Mielnicki-Gardzielik, Knyba-Siwy, Simpson-Townsel, and additional undercard bouts will stream live and exclusively on ESPN+ in the U.S.

Promoted by Top Rank, in association with Rising Star Promotions, tickets go on sale Tuesday, April 1, at 12 p.m. ET Ticketmaster.com.

“We are thrilled to bring Vito back to Prudential Center, a beautiful venue that has played such an instrumental role in his career,” said Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum. “This is a loaded card full of talented fighters in competitive matchups, and I expect a passionate crowd on hand for a great night of fights.”

“We pride ourselves on giving the sport of boxing a consistent platform - from World Champions to local boxers across all levels of experience,” said Dylan Wanagiel, VP of Sports Properties & Special Events for Prudential Center. “This event will mark our venue's fourth pro boxing showcase within 12 months, further cementing Newark as a marquee destination for the Sweet Science. We are honored to have talented boxers like Vito Mielnicki Jr. and Damian Knyba call Prudential Center their second home, and we look forward to another thrilling night of boxing on Saturday, June 21.”

Mielnicki (20-1-1, 12 KOs) turned pro on a Top Rank bill at Prudential Center in July 2019, drawing several thousand Garden State supporters to watch his devastating first-round stoppage of Tamarcus Smith. He’s fought at Prudential Center three times since, including main event knockouts over Nicholas DeLomba in 2021 and Salim Larbi in 2023. Mielnicki signed a long-term promotional contract with Top Rank in early 2024 and kept busy with three fights that year, extending his unbeaten streak to 13. Gardzielik (19-0, 4 KOs) will be fighting for the first time outside of Poland and looking to build off a 2024 campaign that saw him tally a pair of victories.

“I’m excited to come back to Prudential Center. My family, friends, and supporters from home will be there. Every time we fight at Prudential Center, it’s electric,” Mielnicki said. “I’ve knocked out all four of my opponents there, and I’m looking to make 5 for 5. I have Polish roots, and it will be a big night for the Polish community to support Damian and myself.”

Knyba (15-0, 9 KOs) is the latest Polish heavyweight hopeful, a proud lineage that includes Tomasz Adamek, who used to pack the Prudential Center earlier this century. He battled injuries throughout much of 2024, shaking off an 11-month layoff last November to stop Richard Lartey in three rounds. Knyba last fought in February at Prudential Center, knocking out former world title challenger Andrzej Wawrzyk in the main event. Siwy (25-0-1, 12 KOs) returns to the boxing ring for the first time since September 2022, but he has kept active as a mixed martial artist in Poland. His only boxing blemish is a draw to noted spoiler Kamil Sokolowski, and he now seeks to derail Knyba’s momentum.

Knyba said, “I am thrilled to fight again in my second home, the Prudential Center. My opponent has tremendous experience and an unbeaten record. I will be at my best on June 21 to take his ‘0’.”

The undercard will also showcase East Orange bantamweight Mannie Chance (1-0) in a four-rounder, Connecticut-born heavyweight Ali Feliz (5-0, 4 KOs) in a six-rounder, and Philadelphia’s Daiyaan Butt (20-2, 10 KOs) facing Jersey City’s Mike Lee (11-3, 7 KOs) in an eight-rounder at welterweight.

Heavyweight Norman Neely (15-1, 10 KOs), who hails from Paterson, New Jersey, comes back from a 15-month layoff to fight James Willis (6-1-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-rounder.

Newark’s Muadh Abdus-Salaam makes his long-awaited professional debut in a four-round welterweight tilt against Roberto Cantos (1-3).