Diego Pacheco Is Ready To Transition From Prospect To Contender

By Boxing News - 03/10/2023 - Comments

By Vince D’Writer: Standing at a towering 6 ft 4, Diego Pacheco is ready to make the transition from prospect to contender, and on Saturday, March 11th, he will look to impress when he clashes with Jack Cullen (21-3-1, 9 KOs) for the WBO International Super-Middleweight title at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England, live on DAZN.

When light heavyweight contender Callum Smith suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout with Pawel Stepien, the Diego Pacheco vs. Jack Cullen match was elevated to the March 11th main event slot. Now Pacheco, the highly regarded prospect, has a chance to showcase his skills under the bright lights.

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The 22-year-old rising star is undefeated, and he enters his bout with Cullen riding a 6-fight stoppage streak. Pacheco is a fighter who has all the tools. He has a solid jab, great timing, great accuracy, and a nice right hand that he throws at different speeds.

A product of Los Angeles, California, Diego Pacheco developed an interest in boxing at the age of 9 years old. He would go on to compete in the amateur ranks to become an eight-time national champion, and the victory total consists of six titles won in the United States and the other two in Mexico.

At the age of 17, Pacheco decided to transition from the amateurs to the pro ranks as he signed with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing. He made his professional debut in December 2018 and scored a first round knockout victory over Luis Carlos Gonzalez at the Auditorio Fausto Gutierrez Moreno in Tijuana, Mexico.

The most recent bout Diego Pacheco competed in was back in December 2022, when he faced Ricardo Luna and delivered a brief but dominant performance. Thirty-eight seconds into the second round, Pacheco landed a clean right hand that sent Luna down to the canvas.

Luna was able to get up, but unfortunately for him, Pacheco proceeded to land a flurry of shots as he scored the second knockdown of the fight. Once again, Luna rose to his feet, and with 1:11 left to go in the second round, Pacheco hit his opponent with a four-punch combination, and Luna went down for the third time.

Luna’s corner had seen enough as they signaled for the referee to put a halt to the contest. With the second round TKO victory, Diego Pacheco improved his record to a mark of 17 wins, with 14 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Now the Blue-Chip prospect is ready to show the world that it’s his time to elevate to the next level. Standing in his way is Jack Cullen. The British boxer has trained hard for his fight against Pacheco, and he feels he’s ready to produce the upset.

“I put everything into this training camp. I’ve left no stone unturned. I’ve done everything right, and you’ll see on fight night. I have plenty of experience, big bollocks, and I want to fight. I’ve put everything into my training. This is my life, and I want to keep this going. Stick to the game plan, and we’ll get him out of there,” Cullen stated at the final presser.

Diego Pacheco has also been training hard as he’s coached by Jose Benavidez Sr, and he often spars with his coach’s son, the former two-time WBC super-middleweight champion David Benavidez. During the final presser, Pacheco spoke about being thankful and capitalizing on his opportunity.

“I’m excited for Saturday night, and I’m looking forward to a great night of fighting. I started off at 17 years old; it doesn’t feel like it’s been five years. I feel like I’ve learned a lot in these five years, and I feel it’s the perfect time to face a guy like Jack Cullen and, after this, move on to bigger fights. I know it’s going to be a great fight. I’m looking forward to the experience. Everyone tune in and enjoy the show.”