PROVIDENCE, RI (December 22, 2021) – When asked to headline a major, nationally-televised boxing event on Christmas day, Rhode Island’s Nick DeLomba was hesitant at first, so he consulted with the “boss” of the household, his five-year-old son, Nicolas Jr. “The first thing I did was ask him, ‘Do you mind if daddy fights on Christmas day? Daddy will get you whatever you want,” DeLomba said. “Now he’s telling everyone, ‘My daddy is fighting on FOX!’ It made me feel so much more comfortable.” With a reassuring thumbs-up from Junior, the 31-year-old DeLomba (16-3, 5 KOs) heads into the biggest fight of his career this weekend at The Prudential Center in New Jersey, where he faces 19-year-old, up-and-coming welterweight prospect and hometown hero Vito Melniecki Jr. (9-1, 6 KOs) on December 25 in the 10-round main event of Premier Boxing Champions’ Christmas showcase on FOX. The live telecast begins at 8 pm ET and also features an eight-round middleweight showdown between undefeated Joey Spencer and veteran Limberth Ponce. Tickets are available online. This is a potential life-changing moment for DeLomba, the long-time CES Boxing workhorse and Cranston, RI, native who hopes to lean on his experience and ring savvy against Mielnicki, a raw, but talented, prospect who won four Junior National Golden Gloves championships before turning pro at the age of 17. Neither fighter enters this bout unblemished. DeLomba, who hasn’t fought since February of 2020, just weeks before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, is coming off a loss to future super lightweight star Richardson Hitchins, just the third loss of his career. Mielnicki, meanwhile, is still rebuilding following a majority-decision in his ninth pro fight against James Martin; he last fought in July, knocking out Noah Kidd in the second round of their scheduled eight-round fight on FOX, arguably his best performance as a pro. While Mielnicki has fought his entire pro career under the intense spotlight of nationally-televised audiences and will no doubt have homefield advantage on Saturday – he’s a product of nearby West Essex High School in North Caldwell, NJ, and generates a huge crowd in the tri-state area – DeLomba is confident his eight-year career and countless peaks and valleys as a pro will carry him to victory this weekend. “I will lean on my experience this entire fight,” said DeLomba, who has gone the distance in 13 of his 19 fights. “He’s never fought 10 rounds. He hasn’t fought the level of competition I’ve fought. I’m a grown man. He’s still young. “I’ve been dropped, defeated – suffered terrible cuts – and I still keep coming. He hasn’t been tested like that, but I’m going to test this kid and see what he’s about.” Being away from his family during the holiday will be difficult to swallow, but DeLomba views it from a big-picture perspective, knowing a win against a top prospect on Christmas day in front of millions of viewers can take his career to the next level. “The way my family put it, we do the same thing every year on Christmas. We spend time with family, we eat – this year, why not do something great?” DeLomba said. Since he turned pro with CES in 2013, DeLomba has always marched to the beat of a different drum. He fought six rounds in his debut, whereas most fighters start out in fours, and beat New England rival Jimmy Smith in absolute war. Within months of his first pro loss, a shocking first-round knockout at the hands of Gledwin Ortiz in 2015, he went right back to the lab and took on then unbeaten Massachusetts native Freddy Sanchez, reclaiming his throne with a unanimous-decision win. Never one to back down from a challenge, DeLomba has campaigned at both super lightweight and welterweight, enjoying most of his success at 140 pounds. He’s dedicated his life to the sport and now has the opportunity to earn his biggest reward this weekend on one of the most celebrated dates of the year – a true Christmas miracle. “At the end of the day win, lose, or draw, I love what I do,” DeLomba said. “Every bit of this is rewarding to me. To be the main event on this stage on such an amazing day, it’s surreal. I’m looking forward to this opportunity.” Visit CESFights.com for more information. Updates on CES Boxing can also be found on Facebook in addition to Instagram and Twitter by following @CESBoxing.

Keith Hunter won a 10-round unanimous decision over Sanjarbek Rakhmanov in a junior welterweight rematch at Sam’s Town in Las Vegas.

In round three, Hunter dropped Rakhmanov with a body shot.

Hunter, 141 1/2 lbs of Las Vegas won by scores of 98-91 twice and 97-92 and is now 12-0. Rakhmanov, 143 lbs of Las Vegas is 12-3-1.

“I really wanted to stop him but the judges saw the effort I put in,” said Hunter. “I gave it my all and even though we didn’t close the show, I think we stole the show. I think I improved from the last fight to this fight and made more of a statement this time.

“The 140-pound division is stacked and I think I put the rest of the division on notice that I’m here. I’m not going anywhere and we’re definitely a threat.”

Richardson Hitchins won a 10-round unanimous decision over Nick DeLomba in a junior welterweight bout.

Hitchins, 141 1/4 lbs of New York, NY won by shutout scores of 100-90 on all cards and is now 11-0. DeLomba, 141 1/2 lbs of Cranston, RI is 16-3.

“I’d rate my performance an 8.5 out of 10,” said Hitchins. “I got hit with little petty shots I could’ve avoided. I thought I could get him out in the second or third round, but I knew he could take a punch.

“He’s fought a couple a big hitters at 147, they knocked him down and he came back up. I knew his game plan was to keep the pressure on me. He was a durable opponent. I wanted to show a different side of my skillset and I think I did that

Genc Pllana scored an upset 10-round majority decision over Kevin Newman II in a super middleweight.

Pllana used his awkward style to thwart Newman and won by close scores of 96-94 on all cards.

Pllana, 168 lbs of Kosovo is 8-1-1. Newman, 167 3/4 lbs of Las Vegas is 11-2-1.

“I’m very happy with my performance but in the fourth round he poked me in my eye,” said the Albanian Pllana, who fights out of Hagerstown, Md., under the tutelage of former two-division world champion Simon Brown. “For the next three rounds, I was seeing three people. In the seventh round, I finally saw one man and started seeing straight again. My style caused big problems for him but if I didn’t get poked in the fourth round it would have been a stoppage.”

“I don’t have anyone to blame but myself,” said Las Vegas’ Newman, who is trained by future Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. and former world champion Bones Adams. “I was in shape and out of focus, period. I beat myself tonight, but I’ll bounce back.”

LAS VEGAS – February 12, 2020 – Fast-rising super lightweight prospects Richardson Hitchins (10-0, 5 KOs) and Nick DeLomba (16-2, 5 KOs) open up about training camp ahead of their ShoBox: The New Generation co-featured bout Friday, February 28 live on SHOWTIME (10:45 p.m. ET/PT) from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas.

In the ShoBox main event, unbeaten Mayweather Promotions’ prospect Malik Hawkins (18-0, 11 KOs) will return for his second appearance on SHOWTIME as he goes toe-to-toe with undefeated Vegas native Keith Hunter (11-0, 7 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight bout. The opening bout of the telecast will see Kevin “The Second Coming” Newman (11-1-1, 6 KOs) against an opponent to be announced in a 10-round super middleweight bout. The previously announced opponent, Kalvin Henderson, has withdrawn from the fight due to an injury.

Tickets for the Mayweather Promotions’ Sin City Showdown start at $25 and can be purchased at: https://mayweatherpromotions.com/events/.

Hitchins, of Brooklyn, N.Y., returns for his second consecutive test on the prospect developmental series. In his last outing, he earned a unanimous decision over Kevin Johnson at Sam’s Town. Hitchins, a 22-year-old 2016 Haitian Olympian, has gained notoriety for having the skillset of a veteran with a gritty and slick style inside the ring. Hitchins has credited some of his boxing development to advice and pointers he has gotten from world champion Daniel Jacobs and Shakur Stevenson, and stablemate Gervonta Davis.

“Nice” DeLomba, fighting out of Cranston, R.I., is coming off a five-fight win streak with three out of five wins by knockout. He’s best known for his slickness and elusiveness in the ring and looks to make a powerful statement in foreign territory as he makes his Las Vegas and ShoBox debuts.

Here is what Hitchins and DeLomba had to say ahead of the February 28 match-up:

How has training camp been going in preparation for February 28?

Hitchins: “Camp is good, but I’m always in camp. There’s never a time when I’m not preparing and perfecting my craft, I’m really a student of the game. I know that I’m approaching that next level in my career, so I have to stay sharp and in the gym to perform at that next level.

“I’m headed to Colorado to finish training camp. It’s where the Olympic training center is, and it’s a place I’ve gone a couple of times to finish my camp. The air is better up there and that really helps me to get in better shape going into the fight.”

DeLomba: “Training camp is going wonderful. I’m getting everything I need to prepare for the fight: nutrition, meal plans, and strength and conditioning. I’ve added a new strength and conditioning coach and I’ve tweaked things to adjust to Hitchins’ style. I’m ready to go and I can’t wait for fight night.”

What is your game plan going into this fight?

Hitchins: “My game plan is the same for every fight. Stay composed and be the first to strike. I’m at a point in my career where the competition is getting tougher so the main thing for me is keeping my defense tight. My defense will keep me in good shape during the fights as the competition gets steep. But overall, I always have the mindset that I’m the better, smarter, and faster fighter.

“I surround myself with champions. That’s the only way to become one and this fight gets me one step closer.”

DeLomba: “I plan to go in and fight smart; stick to the game plan my team has for me and execute it well. My goal is to overcome whatever he tries to throw at me.”

What do you know about your opponent?

Hitchins: “I don’t know much. He’s who my team picked for me so I’m just going to get the job done and take him out. On fight night, I’ll have a clearer idea of how to get him out. I can adjust to anything.”

DeLomba: “I know my opponent has quick hands and likes to throw speedy shots. I’m completely focused on myself and my training. I believe in my abilities as a fighter. I’m not intimidated.”

What will a victory on February 28th do for your career going forward?

Hitchins: “Another win carries me to that next level. I’m hungry, I come from nothing, so I stay with a chip on my shoulder. I’m appreciative of my team, Mayweather Promotions, and to SHOWTIME for providing me with this opportunity to build my name in the sport and show the world what I can do.”

DeLomba: “A win over Hitchins will catapult me to that next level. It’s a televised bout and this will bring me the exposure I need to branch out and expose myself to a new audience. It will improve my career tremendously.”

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About ShoBox: The New Generation

Since its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young talent matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. Some of the growing list of the 81 fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes: Errol Spence Jr., Andre Ward, Deontay Wilder, Erislandy Lara, Shawn Porter, Gary Russell Jr., Lamont Peterson, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Nonito Donaire, Devon Alexander, Carl Froch, Robert Guerrero, Timothy Bradley, Jessie Vargas, Juan Manuel Lopez, Chad Dawson, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricky Hatton, Kelly Pavlik, Paul Williams and more.

For more information: visit www.sho.com/sports, www.mayweatherpromotions.com/events, follow on Twitter @ShowtimeBoxing, @SHOSports, @MayweatherPromo, and on Instagram @mayweatherpromotions, @showtimeboxing, #SinCityShowdown and #ShoBox, or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SHOSports and www.Facebook.com/MayweatherPromotions, or www.bit.ly/sincityshowdown.