Diego Pacheco, 22, added another knockout to his flawless unbeaten pro record Saturday at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood.
Atop a Matchroom show broadcast on DAZN, Pacheco fought the more experienced Marcelo Coceres, an Argentine fighter who has shared the ring with Edgar Berlanga and Billy Joe Saunders.
Though Pacheco out-landed his opponent in all but one of the nine rounds, Coceres remained competitive until the penultimate round.
Pacheco dictated the pace with his jab, or a one-two, and absorbed the occasional body shot in return. Coceres added head shots to his body attack, landed straight lefts, and began to work round Pacheco's jab by the fifth.
Coceres' ability to remain competitive with Pacheco is highlighted by Compubox data sent to ProBox TV which says he threw 228 shots by the end of the seventh round which was activity greater than the Los Angeles boxer, who threw 194.
Something changed in the eighth, though, when both fighters exchanged slugs in a manner not seen prior, with Pacheco's hooks beginning to land with aplomb, rattling Coceres to the core.
A minute respite between the eighth and ninth did little to bouy Coceres who looked sluggish, breathed heavily, and got dropped by a particularly brutal Pacheco uppercut.
Pacheco dropped Coceres onto the bottom two ropes where he hung momentarily before remaining on a knee.
From there, the referee counting him out. It was all over.
WHAT AN UPPERCUT! 🧨
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) November 19, 2023
THAT IS IT 💥 @realdpacheco#PachecoCoceres live on @DAZNBoxing pic.twitter.com/rwbHzqTATf
Per Compubox, Pacheco landed 25 shots through combinations in rounds eight and nine, "after landing just 32 in the previous seven rounds."
As for what's next for Pacheco, who advanced his record to 20-0 (17 KOs), he could find himself matched against Edgar Berlanga.
"I think Edgar Berlanga against Diego Pacheco is a massive fight in 2024," Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn said after the event.
"Of course, Edgar wants the big names, you know … the Mungia's, and obviously the Canelo Alvarez's, but if Diego keeps winning, he's going to put himself right in contention."
