Diego Pacheco throughout a media exercise previous to his struggle versus Maciej Sulecki on August 31, 2024 at Dignity Well being Sports activities Park in Carson, California. Picture Credit score: Melina Pizano/Matchroom.
Diego Pacheco made positive to recollect a very powerful a part of struggle week in his hometown this time round.
“Yeah, I undoubtedly needed to self-discipline myself to display calls, not reply each name,” Pacheco informed The Ring, with a chuckle. “I respect all of the love and help. However that is the time if you simply must lock in, and keep targeted.”
The unbeaten 23-year-old from Los Angeles’s South Central area is about for his second native headliner in 9 months. Pacheco (21-0, 17 knockouts) faces Poland’s Maciej Sulecki in a scheduled 12-round tremendous middleweight bout. DAZN will air their major occasion this Saturday from Dignity Well being Sports activities Park in Carson, California.
The chance is 2 fights faraway from Pacheco’s earlier affair in entrance of his adoring followers, additionally versus a former title challenger. A ninth-round stoppage over Argentina’s Marcelo Coceres got here with its fascinating moments within the ring, and distractions main as much as struggle night time.
“It’s been a studying expertise by means of the years,” admitted Pacheco. “But it surely’s all love and I cherish these alternatives.”
Each alternative is essential if you’re the fighter groomed because the division’s second coming.
The struggle versus Sulecki (32-2, 12 KOs) is the newest step in direction of preventing for his first main title.
Pacheco is presently ranked as The Ring’s No. 4 tremendous middleweight. From an alphabet belt standpoint, he’s the WBO’s No. 1 contender and No. 4 with each the WBC and IBF.
The roads to these titles lead in two instructions for the second. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) holds The RING championship and WBC, WBA and WBO belts. William Scull (22-0, 9 KOs) and Vladimir Shishkin (18-0, 12 KOs) are attributable to meet for the vacant IBF title this fall.
Alvarez was the undisputed champ earlier than he relinquished the IBF belt in refusal to face Scull as his obligatory challenger. Effectively earlier than that, there was a backlog of challengers awaiting their shot on the sport’s money cow.
Amongst them was David Benavidez (29-0, 24 KOs), Pacheco’s longtime coaching stablemate and a former two-time WBC titlist. Benavidez clearly established himself because the division’s true No. 1 contender however got here up empty in his dogged pursuit of Alvarez. The unbeaten boxer now campaigns at gentle heavyweight, the place he awaits a shot on the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol winner.
Pacheco already has a troublesome time touchdown all of the names he desires to face on the best way up the ranks. He’s conscious of a possible comparable destiny as Benavidez if Alvarez nonetheless guidelines the land as soon as he’s in place to vie for the highest spot.
That’s what makes moments like this so essential. Fairly than fear about what another person received’t do, the main focus is on what he can obtain. Constructing your native fan base and turning into the category of your weight division are key—and attainable—targets.
“Some issues are simply out of your management,” acknowledged Pacheco. “I can’t fear about that day coming for me. All I can do is simply hope I’ve achieved all the pieces in my energy to ensure it occurs for me when my day comes. If not, then I’ll simply give attention to who it will likely be in opposition to. Not who I received’t face.”
For now, the first goal is to offer his adoring native followers cause to cheer.
This time round, the precise fighter is in entrance of him. It wasn’t the case in his first look of 2024—a ten-round win over Shawn McCalman (15-1, 10 KOs). Their April 6 DAZN headliner between unbeaten boxers noticed one come to win and the opposite content material to go rounds.
“Sulecki is the proper type for me,” insisted Pacheco. “He’s gonna be working into numerous pictures.
“He’s gonna come to struggle, come to win. Sadly for him, he’s gonna run into Diego Pacheco.”
Sulecki’s solely two defeats have come on the prime stage and in his opponent’s hometown. He dropped a aggressive and entertaining twelve-round determination to Daniel Jacobs of their April 2018 WBA title eliminator. His lone title bid was significantly much less aggressive as he was shut out by then-unbeaten WBO middleweight titlist Demetrius Andrade 14 months later in Windfall, Rhode Island.
4 wins have since adopted for the 35-year-old contender who as soon as once more hits the street.
Saturday will mark Pacheco’s fifth profession struggle within the higher L.A. area. It’s his second on the venue famously dubbed as ‘The Warfare Grounds’ in boxing circles.
Fittingly, his earlier look got here on the undercard of a fighter who may be very a lot a future goal—Jaime Munguia.
Such a matchup in 2025 may very well be one to usher in a brand new period within the tremendous middleweight division. Each must win their subsequent fights. Munguia (43-1, 34 KOs) faces Erik Bazinyan (32-0-1, 23 KOs) on Sept. 20 at Desert Diamond Enviornment in Glendale, Arizona.
By then, Pacheco hopes to haven’t solely received by then however set up himself as a giant attract a sizzling market.
“I fought on the Warfare Grounds on a Munguia undercard (Sept. 2019) after I was 18 years previous,” recalled Pacheco. “I opened up the primary DAZN card. It was a superb feeling. I fought at house, preventing on DAZN and received a third-round TKO.
“Now to return, headline and put younger fighters from my metropolis on the undercard is wonderful. I simply can’t wait to placed on a present and provides the individuals a efficiency they bear in mind.”
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