LAS VEGAS – Vito Mielnicki Jr. exhibited some of the punching power Saturday that his handlers believe has come from his developing man strength.

The 20-year-old junior middleweight prospect violently knocked out Jose Sanchez Charles with a right hand in an exchange early in the fourth round of their scheduled 10-round bout on the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia undercard at T-Mobile Arena. Referee Robert Hoyle stopped their fight immediately, 33 seconds into the fourth round, as soon as Mexico’s Charles went down for the third time in their fight.

Mielnicki, of Roseland, New Jersey, moved to 15-1 and recorded his 10th knockout.

The 29-year-old Sanchez (20-4-1, 12 KOs) lost by knockout for the first time in his 12-year, 25-fight professional career. He has lost back-to-back bouts to former WBA 154-pound champ Austin Trout, who out-pointed him in an eight-rounder December 9, and Mielnicki.

Mielnicki has won seven consecutive fights since James Martin upset him by majority decision in an eight-round bout in April 2021 at Shrine Auditorium & Exposition Center in Los Angeles.

Before Mielnicki finished him in the fourth round, he dropped the Mexican veteran twice toward the end of the third round.

A right hand by Mielnicki dropped Charles to his gloves and a knee with 22 seconds to go. Charles got up, but a right-left combination by Mielnicki sent him to the canvas again with about five seconds remaining in the third round.

Charles made it to the end of the third round, but he didn’t last long in the fourth round.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.