NEWARK – Vito Mielnicki Jr. appeared as if he would knock out Nicholas DeLomba during the third round Saturday night.

DeLomba withstood Mielnicki’s all-out attack in that round, though, and seemed to benefit from Mielnicki punching himself out while trying to stop him during that sequence. DeLomba didn’t mount much offense in the seven ensuing rounds, not even as Mielnicki mostly fought passively off his back foot.

Finally, however, Mielnicki hurt DeLomba with a right hand that knocked him off balance and led to a 10th-round stoppage in the main event of a four-fight show FOX televised from a sparsely crowded Prudential Center on Christmas night. Referee Eric Dali stepped between them and halted the action at 1:49 of the 10th round in this welterweight bout because Delomba’s trainer requested for the fight to be stopped.

The 19-year-old Mielnicki (10-1, 7 KOs), of nearby Roseland, New Jersey, boxed beyond the eighth round for the first time in 2½ years as a pro. The 31-year-old DeLomba (16-4, 5 KOs), of Kissimmee, Florida, lost by technical knockout for just the second time in eight years as a pro.

“It was a beautiful right hand that hurt him,” Mielnicki said. “He was a tough guy and he made me work all night. At 19 years old, going 10 rounds I felt great and my wind was great. … I think in this fight I definitely displayed my boxing ability. I was using my feet. Everyone knows me as a puncher and a pressure guy. I was in there with a tough guy and I want to thank him for sharing the ring with me tonight.”

Mielnicki was way ahead on the scorecards of judges Lynne Carter (90-81), Henry Grant (90-81) and Ron McNair (89-82) at the time of the stoppage.

In the round before Mielnicki scored a TKO, he was slightly more active in the ninth round than he had been in each of the previous five rounds. DeLomba protected himself well from head and body shots in the ninth round, but he didn’t throw many punches.

DeLomba mostly followed an inactive Mielnicki around the ring throughout the seventh and eighth rounds, without throwing many punches. Mielnicki seemed content to pop jabs infrequently and move out of DeLomba’s punching range.

Mielnicki’s right hand landed with just over 50 seconds to go in the sixth round, but that was one of the few power shots he attempted in what was a lackluster third straight round for him. DeLomba seemed content, too, to follow Milenicki around the ring without truly committing to any consequential shots of his own.

Mielnicki lunged at DeLomba and landed a left hook with about 40 seconds to go in the fifth round. It was one of the few hard shots Mielnicki threw at DeLomba during that round.

Mielnicki, seemingly fatigued from throwing a lot of punches while trying to finish off DeLomba during the third round, wasn’t active in the fourth round. That enabled DeLomba to mount some offense and keep Mielnicki on his back foot for most of the round.

Mielnicki wobbled DeLomba with a right hand about a minute into the third round. Sensing DeLomba was hurt, Mielnicki unloaded a barrage of power punches in an attempt to finish off his reluctant opponent.

DeLomba took Milenicki’s power well, though, and made it to the end of the third round without incident.

Mielnicki backed DeLomba into the ropes with about 30 seconds to go in the second round and let his hands go. For a second straight round, DeLomba didn’t initiate much offense.

DeLomba barely threw a punch during the first round, which Mielnicki won comfortably.

Mielnicki won a second straight bout since Philadelphia’s James Martin upset him by majority decision in an eight-rounder April 17 at Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles.

Mielnicki and Martin were supposed to meet in an immediate rematch July 31 at Prudential Center, but Martin (7-3, 0 KOs) was nearly five pounds overweight and their fight was scrapped. Mielnicki instead stopped late replacement Noah Kidd (6-5-2, 5 KOs) in the second round of a scheduled eight-rounder that night.

In the previous fight Saturday night, featherweight prospect Rajon Chance remained unbeaten when he edged Elon DeJesus by split decision in very competitive, six-round featherweight rematch.

Judges Robin Taylor (58-56) and Eugene Grant (59-55) scored their fight for Chance (6-0-1, 5 KOs), of nearby East Orange, New Jersey. Judge Lynne Carter scored their back-and-forth fight for DeJesus (3-1-1, 2 KOs), of Dunkirk, New York.

Chance and DeJesus fought to a six-round majority draw in their first fight September 18.

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