Taking an ESPN-televised fight in Madison Square Garden’s Theater against unbeaten Connor Coyle was a no brainer for Vito Mielnicki Jr. Having to tell his lady that the fight was on Valentine’s Day was a little tougher to deal with.

But in true no-nonsense Jersey style, the 22-year-old got right to the point.

“Hey, I'm fighting on Valentine's Day,” he said. “We'll have some time after the fight.”

Mielnicki laughs.

“I fought on almost every holiday. I feel like I fought on Christmas, now Valentine's Day. This is a part of the job. This is what we do. This is big to me.”

It is. Getting his first ESPN gig on the Denys Berinchyk-Keyshawn Davis title fight card is the kind of showcase Mielnicki has been working towards since he turned pro in 2019, and for fight fans they thought it was a showcase for a showdown between the New Jersey native and the man right above him on the card, Xander Zayas. But as Mielnicki reveals, it’s not going to happen – at least not now – because he’s moving up from 154 pounds to campaign in the middleweight division.

“I'm going to stay at middleweight,” he said. “154 started to get pretty tough for me to make and I feel like it was hurting me. It wasn't helping me to get down to 154. So 160 is where we're at now.”

Already ranked fifth in the WBA, the 20-1 (12 KOs) Mielnicki was on the verge of a big year at junior middleweight, but the way he sees it, beating Ireland’s Coyle, who is the number three-ranked contender at 160 pounds, puts him on a similar path six pounds north of where he’s been competing.

“I could be almost there after this win,” he said. “And I'm just blessed to be in the position that I’m in, blessed to be with the team that I'm with, and blessed to be surrounded by these great people that I have in my corner. I've been working towards this since I'm seven years old. I turned pro at 17, I’ve been in the pro game for five years now, and I know everybody's got to wait their turn. We've been waiting for our turn, but this is a big fight for me, stepping in the ring with an undefeated opponent who's ranked highly in the WBA at 160. This will be my first fight at 160, so I'm just looking to go in there, handle business and then keep climbing.”

There are no thoughts of anything but winning and moving forward, but that doesn’t mean he’s looking past his opponent, who, despite being the significantly older of the two at 34, is Mielnicki’s toughest test to date.

“I have to focus on what's in front of me,” he said. “That's really it. I understand that this guy is a really good fighter, ranked highly, so I’ve got to focus on him.”

That means plenty of hard work in the gym in Texas with Ronnie Shields, and film study in their downtime, all focused on putting together a plan to be the first to put a mark in Coyle’s loss column. It’s a team thing.

“We go over film together, and I do leave a lot up to my coaches,” Mielnicki said. “I believe in them and I have full trust in them to give me the right information. I obviously watch film and stuff on my own, too, but more or less we’re doing stuff as a team.”

Mielnicki has made the rounds when it comes to those manning the corner on fight night. From Muhammad Salaam and Joe Goossen to Raul “Chino” Rivas and now Shields, the up and comer has gotten plenty of different looks, but it looks like he may be with the respected Shields for the long haul, even if Texas doesn’t have that east coast feel to it.

“I miss that,” he admits. “Sometimes it gets a little boring out here. I miss that New Jersey / New York kind of energy.”

He’ll have plenty of it come Friday night. And while he’s fought in the MSG Theater before, along with some of the biggest venues in the sport, being in midtown will always be special for a kid from the area.

“The fighter aspect of it is that you could be fighting anywhere,” Mielnicki said. “But fighting at The Garden is a dream come true. I feel like it’s where everybody wants to fight. So being able to have the opportunity to fight there and display my talent there, that's like the Mecca of boxing and the Mecca of entertainment. Whether you're an athlete or a music artist, whatever you are, just to be performing in the Garden is a blessing. So it’s definitely cool. It's fun, and man, I'm excited.”

Music artist? Is there some hidden talent flowing through Mielnicki’s veins?

“Nah, definitely not,” he laughs.

Too bad. I suggest he could have sung his own song to his lady on the way to the ring.

“I'm sure she would love that.”

Better than roses…

Mielnicki agrees, but just like he’ll have to be patient in celebrating on Friday night, he’s been patient with his career. Yeah, we’ve been talking about him since he turned pro, but he’s letting everything play out the way it’s supposed to, and when it’s time for him to strike, he will.

“I just believe in the process, trust in the process, and I feel like patience is something we all have to master in whatever craft you're in,” he said. “Patience is power. So you’ve just got to keep doing what you're doing. Stay locked in and keep pushing forward.”

That can’t be easy for a 22-year-old.

“At times it can get difficult, but you also have to understand that you’ve got to wait your turn in line, too,” Mielnicki said. “You have guys that are doing the same thing that you've been doing, working towards the same thing you are, and everybody's going to get their opportunity. When that opportunity comes, you’ve got to take advantage of it.”

This may be the year.

“Most definitely,” he said. “I feel like I'm right where I belong. Obviously, you're going to go through peaks and valleys and highs and lows, but you’ve just got to stick to the process, stay locked in, and keep doing what you're doing. So I'm right where I want to be. And going into the biggest fight of my life, I couldn't be more blessed for how my career has went. And now going into this, I'm more than prepared.”