Eddie Hearn wants Vito Mielnicki Jr. to face Xander Zayas in New York next summer, with both fighters taking another bout first under his preferred plan.
Vito beat Ammo Williams in his last fight, while Xander lost to Jaron Ennis. If Zayas decides against taking a fight first, he’ll be coming straight off that defeat to face Mielnicki.
“I want him to fight Xander Zayas. It’s a massive fight for New York,” Hearn said to iFL TV. “We’re promoting Xander Zayas’s next fight in February, it looks like. It won’t be that fight, but I’d like to see him come back and then fight Vito. Vito will have a fight as well around the same time, and then those two fight in the summer.”
Hearn favors that route, yet no deal exists for a bout between Mielnicki and Zayas. His proposal for February grants Xander a chance to get back in the ring before taking on Vito, even if the date and opponent stay unconfirmed.
The choice is more important to Zayas than Mielnicki. Vito comes into his next fight riding the win over Ammo Williams. Xander must prove his response after the loss to Ennis, so an interim contest allows him to test adjustments prior to taking on a rival with momentum.
Stepping directly into the ring with Mielnicki makes the comeback far tougher. Vito has every incentive to pursue the fight while the Williams victory remains fresh, as a win over Zayas hands him another prominent scalp to elevate his standing.
Hearn aiming for New York establishes a sharp promotional focus for the contest. Instead of feeding either fighter back to Ennis immediately, he seeks to pit them against one another so the victor earns a clear path back to the division’s biggest stages.
Locking down their upcoming bouts comes first. Hearn intends to get both fighters into the ring around February, securing ample preparation time for a summer clash rather than letting the plan fade away.
