Pacheco Calls Out Canelo After Sulecki KO, But Is He Ready?

Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) announced that he’s ready to face Canelo Alvarez following his sixth-round knockout victory over Maciej Sulecki (32-3, 12 KOs) on Saturday night at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

(Credit: Michael Owens/Matchroom)

Fans and Pundits React

Fans on social media overwhelmingly said Pacheco is “not ready” to face Canelo after watching how he performed against the old veteran Sulecki on Saturday night. The tall, stork-like 6’4″ Pacheco was getting hit a lot in every round, including the sixth.

He’s not defensively sound and is getting by with his offense and the low level of opposition he’s been facing. Believe it or not, Sulecki was a step up for Pacheco, and he’s nowhere near the level of fighters like Canelo, Jaime Munguia, Christian Mbilli, or the two talents that recently left the 168-lb division, David Benavidez and David Morrell.

Pacheco is unified super middleweight champion Canelo’s #1 WBO contender, and if the sanctioning body orders that fight next, Diego, 23, says he’ll take it. First, Canelo needs to defend against his WBA mandatory Edgar Berlanga on September 14th in Las Vegas.

Hearn’s Enthusiasm Meets Skepticism

Hearn Eyes Munguia as Interim Opponent

Pacheco’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said tonight that he’d like for Diego to face Jaime Munguia.

“The body shot, and that’s all she wrote,” said Diego Pacheco to DAZN Boxing, talking about his knockout win over Maciej Sulecki on Saturday night. “When I saw him fall, I could tell he wasn’t getting up.”

Sulecki was ready to go by the fifth round after getting hurt by a right hand from Pacheco. At the start of the sixth, Pacheco went for the finish and quickly stopped Sulecki with a left to the body that sent him down. Sulecki rolled on his side after going down with the body shot, and ever attempted to get back up.

“I could tell he was feeling my punches,” said Pacheco about Sulecki. “I could see that he was slowing down from the fourth or fifth round. Definitely. I don’t back down from any challenge,” said Pacheco when asked if he’d be ready to fight unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez if the sanctioning body calls his WBO mandatory spot. “Let’s get it on.

“Eddie Hearn is right here. Maybe he can tell you when I’m going to get that shot,” said Pacheco.

Canelo will probably jump at the chance to fight Pacheco after he defends against Edgar Berlanga next month. If the World Boxing Organization orders the Canelo-Pacheco fight, Canelo won’t say no because he’s an easy mark.

Hearn’s Enthusiasm Meets Skepticism

“Coming of age performance from a superstar in the making,” said promoter Eddie Hearn about Pacheco. “He’s 23-years-old. Los Angeles is behind him. He’s #1 in the world. The world title shot is coming, and it’s going to come very soon.”

Hearn is getting a little carried away by talking about it being a “coming of age performance by Pacheco. For it to fit that category, Pacheco would need to beat one of these talents:

1. Osleys Iglesias
2. Christian Mbilli
3. Jaime Munguia
4. Caleb Plant

I don’t see Pacheco beating only Plant from that four, and even that’s not a sure thing. If Plant catches Pacheco with one of his slap left hooks, he might knock him out.

“If it’s not Canelo, who would you like to see Pacheco in with?” said DAZN commentator Chris Mannix.

“You talk about a big opportunity. By the time the mandatory shot comes around against Canelo Alvarez or Edgar Berlanga, Diego Pacheco against either of those guys is going to be a massive fight,” said Hearn. “He is going to be the mandatory for the winner of Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga.”

Munguia would fight Pacheco if it pays, but if he’s with Top Rank, that might not happen. He would be better off working his way back to a rematch with Canelo.