One man’s triumph is another man’s tragedy. As Callum Smith is unable to headline this Saturday, March 11th’s card sees top prospect teetering on the verge of being a contender, Diego Pacheco headlining his first international card. Pacheco will be the main attraction live on DAZN at the Echo Arena, Liverpool, England as he takes on veteran tough guy Jack Cullen with the WBO international super middleweight title on the line. Add to the fact, Pacheco has never even fought in the U.K., prior to headlining this card, and the stage is set for Pacheco to have a big moment - if he performs well on Saturday.
One could make a case that Pacheco is the best home-grown U.S.-based talent that DAZN has signed as his whole career has taken place under the DAZN/Matchroom umbrella, and now he looks to be the first world champion they groomed from start to finish. Saturday night’s event will essentially be a graduation of sorts for him to establish himself in the top-heavy super middleweight division.
“I have been a part of Matchroom [boxing] for a bit, I’ve seen how the shows [in the U.K.] get, and I have been waiting to come down here for a long time, I am excited to be here and now headlining [this card],“ said Pacheco who is only 21-years-old, despite looking older given his six-foot, four-inch skyscraper-like frame at his media workout on Monday when speaking directly to IFL TV. “[I feel no added pressure] it is the same objective, the same goal, to knock this guy out and get a good win. Everything happens for a reason, now I am headlining and there will be a lot more eyes on me and I’ll be able to win a lot more U.K. fans over now that I am headlining."
Pacheco recently changed camps as he is now working with Jose Benavidez Sr., and sparring with David Benavidez, widely considered one of the best super middleweights. Since the change, many well-respected observers have felt as though Pacheco has steadily improved. Now Pacheco is going for legacy and looking to make the climb from being a top-rated prospect to a viable contender in the sport of boxing.
“I’ve always wanted to be around the best fighters, and I have always wanted to work with the best, and who better than the Mexican Monster himself [David Benavidez],” said Pacheco when speaking to IFL TV about training with Jose Benavidez Sr.’s stable of fighters including working side-by-side with David Benavidez, who fight Caleb Plant on pay-per-view March 25th. “Right now [David Benavidez] is more motivated than ever, he has the biggest fight of his life coming up against Caleb Plant, and this is my biggest fight as well. We’ve just been in camp grinding hard and getting ready for these fights, and I’m excited this weekend is going to be big, my first headline [fight] like you said, and excited to perform.
For Pacheco facing Jack Cullen isn’t the end goal of becoming a world champion, but now he is within eyeshot, as Cullen is a top-45 ranked opponent, and if impressive on Saturday, his competition should get stepper. In Pacheco's last few fights, Pacheco has defeated some tough veterans such as Enrique Collazo, Genc Pllana, and Lucas de Abreu, all solid talent, that could spoil a young fighter's hopes.
“For sure, I feel like I can knock anyone out,” said Pacheco when asked if he could knock out Jack Cullen. "I feel I have always been regarded as one of the best, even as an amateur I was ranked #1 in the country, I have always been #1, I was #1 in Mexico, and my whole career I have always felt I was meant to come out on top.”
