Maciej Sulecki says super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco hasn’t been tested during his six-year professional career. Pacheco vs. Sulecki will headline this Saturday, August 31st, 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 hopes Pacheco, 23, looks great because he’s trying to position him quickly to a title shot against 168-lb champion Canelo Alvarez to catch him before he retires.
With David Benavidez and David Morrell having moved 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 isn’t in the talent-wise category of those two.
Now that they’re gone, Pacheco is one of the few viable options for Canelo to fight once he finishes his next title defense against Edgar Berlanga on September 14th.
“Diego Pacheco hasn’t been tested in big fights, big challenges. He’s the guy you need to be cautious about. He’s the guy who makes mistakes, and we have to capitalize on those mistakes,” said Maciej Sulecki to the DAZN Boxing YouTube channel, talking about Pacheco. “He’s not been tested yet.”
Sulecki’s Experience Advantage
Sulecki, 35, has 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 well-known fighters that Sulecki has fought were older guys who were near 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 as me,” said Sulecki about Pacheco. “Up to now, he’s been fighting the opponents from the second and third leagues. However, I can say he’s good and we’ll see how he’ll undergo a very serious test from me.”
Pacheco has been fighting lesser opposition, but he’s got a good excuse. He’s only 23, so it would have been crazy for his promoters to put him in against dangerous opposition all this time.
“I’m sure I have self-discipline. Great skills, a tough jaw, huge character, and the will to fight,” said Sulecki.
Pacheco’s Goals
“I’m asking 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’ll be ruling the 168-lb division and hopefully become the undisputed at the weight. That’s my goal,” said Pacheco. “Every fight is important. I treat every fight like it’s my last fight.”
It’s questionable whether Pacheco will ever dominate the super middleweight division. Even when Canelo retires, some talented guys would likely beat Pacheco. Osleys Iglesias and Christian Mbilli would be very tough for Pacheco if they stay at super middleweight.
“I put my all in every single training camp to make sure everything goes right. I’m just locked into getting this W,” said Pacheco.
