Michael Coffie vs Gerald Washington, James Martin vs Vito Mielnicki Jr 2 set for July 31st

Jake Donovan reports that PBC is putting together a July 31st FOX card in Newark that will see unbeaten heavyweight Michael Coffie meet veteran Gerald Washington and 19-year-old welterweight prospect Vito Mielnicki Jr. look to avenge his upset loss to James Martin.

The 35-year-old Coffie (12-0, 9 KO) didn’t turn pro until he was 29, but has done fairly well for himself during his brief career, most recently crushing former amateur standout Darmani Rock on the Plant-Truax undercard this past January. Washington (20-4-1, 13 KO) figures to be a good measuring stick; while “El Gallo Negro” consistently falls short against above-average competition, as seen in his February 2020 knockout loss to Charles Martin last time out, he did manage to stop Robert Helenius one fight prior.

New Jersey’s Mielnicki (8-1, 5 KO), who debuted in 2019, enjoyed a busy and successful rise through the ranks before running afoul of Martin (7-2, 0 KO) in April. That was a legitimate win on Martin’s part, not any sort of fluke, so it will be interesting to see whether “White Magic” can make the necessary adjustments.