Spence vs Ugas results: Vito Mielnicki Jr cruises to decision on preliminary undercard

A off-television slot on the undercard seems like an odd decision for a 19 year old who was headlining a broadcast network show on FOX last Christmas. But Vito Mielnicki took advantage of the rounds to get some work in on his way to a unanimous decision win against Dan Karpency.

Mielnicki (11-1, 7 KO) fought a very patient and disciplined fight, using his size and reach advantage to control Karpency (9-5-1, 4 KO) from start to finish. Karpency, a capable veteran if ever there was one, struggled to get inside in the early rounds. Mielnicki kept him at bay with a sharp jab, and shoulder-shoved him off whenever Karpency got in close.

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Mielnicki grew increasingly willing to work at close range as the fight went on, a style change that didn’t benefit Karpency much. Karpency still struggled to land cleanly, while Mielnicki landed power punches with greater frequency.

By the seventh round, Karpency seemed content to last through the final bell, and Mielnicki didn’t object too much, even smiling at a Karpency retreat at one point.

Judges were unanimous for Mielnicki by scores of 80-72 and 79-73 x2. Might Mielnicki have worked harder for the stoppage if this had been a televised fight? Possibly. But, then again, that might be why the Karpency matchup didn’t make the on-air portion of the card.

Angel Barrientes MD-6 Fernando Garcia

A lively and well-matched fight with plenty of back and forth action saw Angel Barrientes extend his winning streak to six straight by majority decision over Fernando Garcia.

Garcia (13-5, 8 KO) started and ended well. He had Barrientes (9-1, 6 KO) against the ropes at the end of round one and did most of the work in the back half of round six. But Barrientes did the better work in between, landing impressive shots on the inside and moving well to keep himself off the ropes. Garcia was pawing at blood around his left eye in the fourth, but it wasn’t a factor after he returned from the corner for round five.

One judge had a draw at 57-57, but the other two agreed on 58-56 for Barrientes. It’s a tough outcome for Garcia, who started his career 12-0, but has gone 1-5 in his last six fights.

Samuel Arnold TKO-1 Darryl Jones

Quick work from Samuel Arnold, an 18 year old who lives in the Dallas area. Darryl Jones was his first opponent with a winning record, and Arnold handled the step up brilliantly.

Arnold (5-0, 3 KO) backed Jones (4-4-1, 2 KO) into the corner and pummeled him with hooks until the ref stepped in with 7 seconds left in the first round. No arguments here, as Jones was just desperate to cover up, throwing nothing back and almost taking a knee once or twice.

Darius Fulghum TKO-4 Nosa Divine Nehikhare

A dominant performance from Darius Fulghum, who knocked Nosa Divine Nehikhare down in round one and never really let him get his feet back. Nehikhare (5-2, 0 KO) was rocked again in the second, but managed to avoid another knockdown. He couldn’t avoid continuing power shots from Fulghum (2-0, 2 KO), though, and the fight was stopped 10 seconds into the fourth round.

Fulghum is a Probellum project, a 2018 National Golden Gloves champion who won an Olympic trial but elected to start his pro career when COVID delays kept him out of qualifying events. He also has a nursing degree. Based on the eye test tonight, he probably won’t need to fall back on it anytime soon.