Jonnie Rice earned a big-time victory over Michael Coffie Saturday, scoring a technical knockout in the main event of PBC on FOX.
The Premier Boxing Champions event took place live on FOX from the Prudential Center.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to overwhelm Coffie like that,” said Rice. “I knew Michael Coffie from his fights, but not because he had a great record but because he was a sparring partner for Deontay Wilder. In my head, I played the little game that I was Luis Ortiz’s sparring partner for his second fight against Wilder. So technically it was Luis Ortiz’s vs. Deontay Wilder’s sparring partners. We’re going to see what happens. I was playing with that in my head. I had to fight a little bit like Deontay Wilder and then a little bit different. That’s what the game plan was.”
Coffie was originally scheduled to face longtime heavyweight contender Gerald Washington, but Washington tested positive for COVID-19 and Rice came in as Washington’s replacement.
“I wasn’t a late replacement,” added Rice. “I was waiting for an opportunity. We replaced someone, but we weren’t late. We were right on time. I was training every day. I was training with Michael Hunter. I did 20 rounds, 10 and 10 last Friday before I got the call. So when I got the call, I was ready.”
In the co-main event on FOX, New Jersey native Vito Mielnicki Jr. (9-1, 6 KOs) knocked out Noah Kidd (6-4-2, 5 KOs) in the second round of their welterweight contest. Mielnicki scored a knockdown in the opening frame, causing the crowd at Prudential Center to erupt with cheers for the hometown favorite.
In the opening bout on FOX, unbeaten super welterweight prospect Joey Spencer (13-0, 9 KOs) secured a unanimous decision (79-73, 79-73, 80-72) victory over James Martin (7-3, 0 KOs).