Maciej Sulecki says super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco has not been tested during his six-year professional career. Pacheco vs. Sulecki will headline this Saturday, August 31, live on DAZN at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Los Angeles.
Sulecki: Pacheco is untested
Sulecki (32-2 12 KOs) will be Pacheco’s first career test in their 12-rounder. Promoter Eddie Hearn is hoping Pacheco, 23, looks good as he tries to quickly position himself for a title shot against 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez to catch him before he retires.
With David Benavidez and David Morrell moving up to 175, Pacheco (21-0, 17 KOs) doesn’t have much to worry about in terms of competition or fighters he would be pressured to fight. Pacheco is not in the talent-wise category of these two.
Now that they’re gone, Pacheco is one of the few viable options for Canelo to fight once he completes his next title defense against Edgar Berlanga on September 14th.
“Diego Pacheco has not been tested in big fights, big challenges. He is the guy you have to watch out for. He’s the guy who makes mistakes, and we have to capitalize on those mistakes,” Maciej Sulecki told DAZN Boxing. YouTube channel, talking about Pacheco. “He has not been tested yet.”
Sulecki’s experience advantage
Sulecki, 35, had fights against Demetrius Andrade, Daniel Jacobs, Hugo Centeno, Derrick Findley, Grzegorz Proksa and Jack Culcay. In terms of experience, Sulecki doesn’t have that big of an advantage over Pacheco. The famous fighters that Sulecki fought were older guys nearing the end of their careers. He still lost to Andrade and Jacobs, even though they were no longer at their best.
“He’s a young, strong fighter with ambition, but he hasn’t been in the ring with such an experienced fighter like me,” Sulecki said of Pacheco. “Until now he has fought against opponents from the second and third leagues. However, I can say he is good and we will see how he will undergo a very serious test from me.”
Pacheco has been fighting less opposition, but he has a good excuse. He’s only 23, so it would have been crazy for his promoters to put him against dangerous opposition all this time.
“I’m sure I have self-discipline. Great skills, a tough jaw, great character and the will to fight,” Sulecki said.
Pacheco’s goals
“I ask for all the big fights. I’m already in the top ten. I want to get those top ten guys to earn my title shot. Five years from now I will rule the 168-lb division and hopefully become the undisputed at the weight. That’s my goal,” Pacheco said. “Every fight is important. I treat every fight like it’s my last fight.”
It is doubtful that Pacheco will ever dominate the super middleweight division. Even when Canelo retires, some talented guys will probably beat Pacheco. Osleys Iglesias and Christian Mbilli will be very difficult for Pacheco if they stay at super middleweight.
“I put my all into every training camp to make sure everything went right. I’m just stuck getting this W,” Pacheco said.
