Highly-regarded super middleweight Diego Pacheco meets fellow unbeaten Steven Nelson at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in the headlining bout of the second leg of a two-continent DAZN broadcast on Saturday night. While two regional titles are at stake, the true prize for the winner of the twelve-rounder could be a bout against one of the major players at 168-pounds. Fighters weighed-in on Friday afternoon at the OPM Theater, one floor down from the host venue.
Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California has gradually moved to the precipice of landing the marque bout he has vocally demanded during fight week. In his last time out, Pacheco impressively halted veteran Maciej Sulecki in the sixth with a perfectly-placed bodyshot. Sulecki, albeit naturally smaller and now older, had previously lasted the distance against Demetrius Andrade and Daniel Jacobs in his only two prior defeats.
The 36-year-old U.S. Army veteran Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) of Omaha, Nebraska has moved along at a different pace and to less fanfare than his 23-year-old counterpart. Nelson’s resume does not have a Sulecki type to be found, as Pacheco marks the veteran’s first major headline opportunity. In his last bout, Nelson dropped previously undefeated Marcos Vazquez three times en route to a fifth-round stoppage, deep down on the undercard of Terence Crawford’s victory over Ismail Madrimov in Los Angeles last August.
Pacheco, the WBO #1/WBC #3/IBF #6 ranked super middleweight, is only one fight away from a bout with Canelo Alvarez, according to recent remarks by his promoter, Eddie Hearn. Pacheco is trained by Jose Benavidez Sr., no stranger to leading a 168-pounder to the doorstep of such a bout, as David Benavidez was in that same position not long ago. Benavidez Sr.’s first journey towards Canelo has thus proven fruitless and it remains to be seen where on the scale Alvarez will appear next.
Nelson, the WBO #9 ranked super middleweight, must look at his opportunity against Pacheco as his Canelo fight. The Nebraska native has developed quietly, in the shadows of Crawford, fighting mainly on his undercards in recent years. With a win over Pacheco, who defends the regional USWBC and WBO International titles on Saturday, Nelson would put himself in prime position to attract one of the big names at 168-pounds.
Pacheco made 166.4-pounds on Friday, while Nelson hit the super middleweight limit of 168. The public weigh-in ceremony got heated during the face-off, as a jawing back-and-forth turned into some shoving before camps went their seperate ways.
In the leading supporting bout, WBA #4/IBF#5/WBC #6/WBO #15 ranked lightweight Andy Cruz (4-0, 2 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Matanzas, Matanzas, Cuba defends the regional IBF International lightweight title against WBA #12 ranked Omar Salcido (20-1, 14 KOs) of Lakeside, California by way of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico in a ten-round bout.
Cruz, previously one of the most accomplished amateurs of all-time, appears to be on the fast-track towards a world title opportunity. Cruz has referred to himself as Keyshawn Davis’ daddy in the lead-up to Saturday’s bout, a nod to his four amateur victories over the fellow lightweight contender. While Davis will vie for a world title in February, Cruz will be defending the regional title he won in his pro debut for the fourth time. However, the 2020 Cuban Olympic gold medalist cannot afford to look past the veteran Salcido, who enters the bout fresh off of his signature victory to date, a ninth-round stoppage of Chris Colbert this past October.
For the bout, which will also see the WBA Continental Latin Americas title on the line, Cruz and Salcido scaled an identical 134.8-pounds each.
Junior welterweight prospect Ernesto Mercado (16-0, 15 KOs) of Pomona, California looks to march towards to bonafide contender status as he moves up in class against former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza (29-6-2, 14 KOs) of Cidra, Puerto Rico in a ten-round bout. Mercado, 142.4 at Friday’s weigh-in and recently signed to Matchroom Boxing, will be making his Las Vegas debut against a fighter in Pedraza, 143, that has fought a who’s who list from all over the world.
Junior welterweight prospect Leonardo Rubalcava (9-0, 3 KOs) of Jurupa Valley, California by way of Teocaltiche, Jalisco, Mexico takes on Israel Mercado (11-1, 7 KOs) of Montclair, California in an eight-round bout. Rubalcava, making his Las Vegas debut, scaled 141-pounds, as did Mercado, fighting in Vegas for the second straight occasion.
Former amateur standout Harley Mederos (7-0, 6 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York will meet Arturo de Isla (5-2-1, 4 KOs) of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico in a six-round lightweight bout. Mederos, who capped a well decorated amateur run as U.S. National champion in 2020, scaled 134.4-pounds, while de Isla made 135.6.
2024 Indian Olympic bronze medalist Nishant Dev of Woodland, California by way of Karnal, India will make his professional debut against Alton Wiggins (1-0-1) of Modesto, California in a six-round junior middleweight bout. Dev came in at 155.8-pounds, while Wiggins tipped 156.4.
19-year-old former amateur standout Zaquin Moses (1-0) of Newark, New Jersey will take on replacement opponent Mario Garcia (3-0, 3 KOs) of Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico in a four-round super featherweight bout. Moses was 130.4, giving up seven pounds to make the fight, with the short-notice Garcia at 137.4-pounds Friday.
For those watching from home, the DAZN marathon boxing broadcast begins with Dalton Smith’s junior welterweight headliner against Walid Ouizza from Nottingham, England, with coverage beginning at 12:15 EST. Coverage from Las Vegas begins at 5:45 EST.
Quick Weigh-in Results:
USWBC Super Middleweight Championship
WBO International Super Middleweight Championship, 12 Rounds
Pacheco 166.4
Nelson 168
WBA Continental Latin Americas Championship
IBF International Lightweight Championship, 10 Rounds
Cruz 134.8
Salcido 134.8
Light welterweights, 10 Rounds
Mercado 142.4
Pedraza 143
Light welterweights, 8 Rounds
Rubalcava 141
Mercado 141
Lightweights, 6 Rounds
Mederos 134.4
de Isla 135.6
Light middleweights, 6 Rounds
Dev 155.8
Wiggins 156.4
Super featherweights, 4 Rounds
Moses 130.4
Garcia 137.4
Tickets for the event, promoted by Matchroom Boxing, are available online at Ticketmaster.com
Photos by Melina Pizano/Matchroom
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at [email protected]
