Diego Pacheco wants to make a statement in the super middleweight division and become the first man to knock out Maciej Sulecki when he faces the robust Pole on Saturday night at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Los Angeles, live worldwide on DAZN.
Pacheco (21-0, 17 KOs) sits comfortably atop the middleweight (168 pounds) rankings, but wants to stay active and gain valuable experience and rounds while he awaits his shot at a world title.
In Sulecki (32-2, 12 KOs), Pacheco will be taking on a former world title challenger in his 35th professional fight. The rugged Pole’s only losses have come against Demetrius Andrade and Daniel Jacobs. Pacheco respects the 35-year-old’s career and admits this is his toughest test yet. However, the 23-year-old believes he will not only be the third man to beat Sulecki, but also the first to do so inside the distance.
“Maciej is a veteran, he’s had some tough fights and fought good champions,” Pacheco said. “I’m just excited to add him to my resume. He’s another guy that’s trying to take this away from me, but I’ve put in the work, I’ve got God on my side and that’s all that matters. With the work, talent and support that I have, there’s nothing that can stop me.”
“Maciej has had tougher fights than my other opponents. He has fought some great fighters, he has fought for a world title and he has beaten a lot of good fighters too. So we won’t know if he is my toughest fight until I’m in the ring with him, but I’m looking at this fight as if it were my last fight and I’m ready to demand the best from him.
“I’m a special fighter. With all due respect to Jacobs and Andrade, but I think stylistically I’m more of a power puncher, I’m a better counter puncher, I’ve got everything. I can work inside and go to the body, I can outbox my opponents to frustrate them and get them to open up, it’s just a matter of how the fight goes, I’m prepared for whatever it brings and I believe I’ll get the knockout.
“I don’t like to study too much because you can study and study and study and then come fight night you’re faced with something completely different. I prefer to adapt when I’m there, so we’ll see what he brings on Saturday.”
The fight between Pacheco and Sulecki caps off a packed schedule in Los Angeles, where super featherweight knockout artist Eduardo “Sugar” Nunez (27-1, 27 KOs) faces former world championship challenger Miguel Marriaga (31-7, 26 KOs).
It’s an all-Mexican war, with Arturo Cardenas (14-0-1 8 KOs) defending his Continental American super bantamweight title against Jesus Arechiga (21-1 15 KOs), Brit Chev “C4” Clarke (9-0 7 KOs) making his American debut against Efetobor Apochi (12-2 12 KOs), and the action on DAZN kicking off with an interim world championship fight, with Adelaida Ruiz (16-0-1 8 KOs) defending her WBC super flyweight title against Ginny Fuchs (3-0 1 KO).
Matchroom’s recently signed Fabian ‘Zurdo’ Rojo (9-0 7 KOs) will face Alejandro Frias (15-10-2 7 KOs) in a six-round welterweight bout, Criztec Bazaldua (5-0 1 KOs) will face Kyle Erwin (7-2 3 KOs) in a six-round super lightweight bout and Alex Gueche (5-0 5 KOs) will open the evening in a six-round bantamweight bout against David Vargas (8-4-2 5 KOs).
