Super-middleweight contender Diego Pacheco faced an extremely tough opponent, but in the end, he was able to score a ninth round knockout victory over Marcelo Coceres (32-6-1, 18 KOs) on Saturday night, November 18th, at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California.
Diego Pacheco is a young, skilled boxer who is gradually upgrading his profile, as he is a contender who is on the rise. His opponent, Marcelo Coceres, is a 32-year-old gatekeeper who is a very experienced boxer who always pushes his opponents to the limit.
In the opening round of the scheduled 12-round super-middleweight bout, the 6’4″ Diego Pacheco was able to keep his 5’11” opponent at the end of his jab. Pacheco did a good job of establishing range as he continued to accurately land his jab in the second round.
In the closing minute of round 2, Pacheco landed a couple of solid right hands followed by a sharp uppercut. Coceres came out in the third round attempting to attack his opponent’s body, but he had limited success in regards to landing his shots.
An accidental headbutt that occurred in the fourth round resulted in a cut under Pacheco’s left eye. Coceres turned up the aggression in the fifth round as he pressed forward and landed two big left hooks. A minute later, Marcelo Coceres closed out the round by landing two additional left-hand shots.
Another accidental headbutt took place in the seventh round, and as a result, Pacheco had blood on his bottom lip. For three straight rounds, Coceres was fighting on the front foot, pressing forward, and bullying Pacheco, but in the 8th round, Pacheco set his feet and landed sharp combinations on multiple occasions.
With 18 seconds left to go in the ninth round, Pacheco landed a vicious right uppercut that forced Coceres to fall on one knee.
Coceres remained on one knee as the referee counted him out, and Diego Pacheco collected a ninth round knockout victory.
With the win, the 22-year-old Diego Pacheco (20-0, 17 KOs) closes out his year on a high note as he remains undefeated. Now that Pacheco has officially concluded his 2023 fight campaign, a very intriguing matchup against another young, undefeated fighter would be an excellent way to start off 2024.
Edgar “The Chosen One” Berlanga (21-0, 16 KOs) made his pro boxing debut back in April 2016. He got off to an incredible start by scoring sixteen consecutive first round knockout victories.
The 26-year-old Puerto Rican boxing contender is still an undefeated fighter, but he hasn’t produced a knockout victory since December 2020.
Diego Pacheco has called out Edgar Berlanga on multiple occasions, but he didn’t mention him on Saturday night during his post-fight interview. However, when asked about a potential bout against Berlanga during his post-fight press conference, Pacheco provided an answer.
“You can ask Eddie. I been telling him about that fight, man; I mean, that’s what I’m in the sport for,” Pacheco said. “That’s what I’m here for to take the big fights and really get my name to being number one, and to get to number one, I have to take those fights, and I feel like if you ask me, I’m ready for those fights.”
Both super-middleweight contenders Diego Pacheco and Edgar Berlanga are promoted by Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing. Hearn sees the potential bout as a big clash that could happen in 2024 if it is a match that both fighters want.
“I think Edgar Berlanga against Diego Pacheco is a massive fight in 2024. You know, of course, Edgar wants the big names, if you like, you know, the Munguia’s and the Canelo Alvarez’s, but if Diego keeps winning, he’ll put his name right in contention,” Hearn said during a post-fight interview.
A potential 2024 clash between Diego Pacheco and Edgar Berlanga would be a battle of young undefeated fighters who are ranked in the top 10, and the bout would also represent the rivalry of Mexico versus Puerto Rico.
Despite the fact that this matchup makes perfect sense, this is the sport of boxing, and unfortunately, it’s a sport known for marinating good fights.