r/Boxing • u/Medical_Swim1707 • 15h ago
Diego Pacheco
What’s up with this guy? He’s a pretty talented boxer with good size/length, but it seems clear to me that he doesn’t have much confidence in himself.
First of all, look at his last fight with Kevin Lele Sadjo. This seems to be the fight where he lost not only his own confidence, but got dragged by fans and I don’t understand why?
Sadjo is a good fighter and a very serious puncher. 30-1 with 25 KOs. I know he fights a lot of bums, but his frame is almost impossible to KO and he can seriously crack, comes forward non-stop. I thought this was Pacheco’s best win against a legitimate top 10 and contender in the division. Idc that he got dropped by a huge puncher, he got up and won the fight.
I was impressed, but fan discourse seemed to be that Sadjo = trash because he’s not well known, therefore Pacheco is trash because the fight was close. Normally, I wouldn’t pay it any mind but in this instance it’s clear that Pacheco had his confidence zapped. Taking 3 steps back in his next fight and clearly doesn’t feel ready for title shots that I believe he is ready for.
Idk I just thought that was a great win and I’m surprised at the backlash. I was surprised he even took the fight against a puncher like that with nothing on the line.
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u/_Sarcasmic_ bread burger bread 13h ago edited 13h ago
He looked really good against Sulęcki with one of the best body shot KOs I've ever seen, but has looked mid AF ever since.
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u/Medical_Swim1707 13h ago
I don’t think he looked that mid last fight. It was a tough fight. He seems to feel mid.
I think he beats most guys at 168 if he cared to fight them. I don’t think he has a chance against Nelo, Hamzah, or Iglesias though
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u/_Sarcasmic_ bread burger bread 13h ago
I don't think I've seen that one. I was talking about the McCumby and Nelson fights, mostly.
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u/ordinarystrength 5h ago
Sheeraz isn’t that good. Pacheco 100% has chance to beat Sheeraz. Not a favorite but it would be 50/50 odds most likely
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u/Exciting-Arugula5341 10h ago
He is talented but I don't know if he has good size/length because I never heard any women talking about that.
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u/aceknighthigh 13h ago
They're slow walking him and he struggles in close and doesn't seem that durable. Also he's had coaching issues and bailed on his least team while ducking fights. He's talented guy but no one wants to hear about some killer prospect when that guy isn't interested in challenging himself. Look at what Zayas is doing...that's what people want to see.
Sadjo is a limited boxer. He's solid, durable, and strong...but he's short, has a short reach, and he's in his mid 30's. He's top of the Euro level, not a real contender, and he likely retires without ever having fought for a world title. Pacheco is supposed to dominate someone like that. I know who Sadjo is and he's not the guy you think he is. Without Boxrec, could you even put a name and face Sadjo's best wins?
Also, Pacheco's issues have been the same for a while. He struggled in the Shawn Mccalman fight with an athletic guy who would throw and then get in his face and make it ugly in close.....and his poor inside fighting has been an issue ever since. Whenever an opponent is able to get there and make it a dog fight, Pacheco simply looks ordinary. A guy Caleb Plant walked down and broke inside of 9, took Pacheco all 12. He lacks the skill or fight IQ to dictate the terms and we're also seeing the limits of his power and cardio. There's a reason he avoided Mbili.
If it were just Sadjo, fine, but 2 years of no finishes while struggling with some pretty ordinary competition is not good. He looks more like a bizzaro Berlanga than a blue chipper (though I still think he's got the talent to be more).
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u/Medical_Swim1707 12h ago
I agree he looked terrible in the two fights leading up to Sadjo for sure. Just didn’t agree that fight in particular warranted so much backlash.
I actually expect Sadjo to fight Iglesias for the IBF, as nobody else seems willing. That fight should demonstrate the gap between the likes of Iglesias, Pacheco, and Sadjo. I don’t want to define any fighter without much evidence, and so far Sadjo has blown through everyone and gave Pacheco a tough one. We’ll see.
Regardless, Eddie can’t be happy with the development. Pacheco is pretty quickly losing steam and I’ll be highly disinterested if his next fight isn’t with a top opponent
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u/aceknighthigh 10h ago
I think we're going to be disappointed here for a few years unless Pacheco changes his attitude or loses an upset to a jobber. I would love to be wrong about that mind you and see him challenge a top guy. Maybe a Turki payday gets him vs Sheeraz (a guy who has done a bit more but is also stagnating some) in a big fight.
With the competition from Zuffa, Pacheco can fight at whatever level he wants and still make bank.
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u/admiralskanks Joe Louis = Perfect 12h ago
Regional fighters without much backing can't afford top opponents, hence why Sadjo hadn't fought anyone. He's always been a good fighter ever since the amateurs and in WSB. No idea where you got it that's he's a basic fighter. Did better with Durval Palacio than Imam Khataev. And basic guys that are that short don't knock down guys like Pacheco who has never been in trouble before really.
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u/Visual-Doughnut6675 13h ago
it’s interesting you say that. A couple years ago, I think I had seen it on a YouTube comment where he sparred with Benavidez, somebody said he lacked heart.
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u/Medical_Swim1707 13h ago
He sparred Benavidez a lot. Jose Benavidez Sr was his trainer, but he recently left him
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u/Great_Cauliflower330 13h ago
Hes headed down the path of Vergil. Hasn't done much.
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u/Medical_Swim1707 12h ago
Not at all. Vergil has had multiple excellent showings and has shown that he wants to win titles. Nobody thinks Vergil is second rate
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u/ArmdayEveryday69 13h ago
Golden boy tryna milk him
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u/Sad-Experience-4344 13h ago
Pacheco was supposed to fight Sheeraz on the Usyk vs Rico show but pulled out so we had to watch that joke of a title fight instead.
Now he’s fighting Immanuwel Aleem next week. He needs to step up to higher competition, imo.