Unbeaten super middleweight Diego Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) out-brawled Steven Nelson (20-1, 16 KOs), winning a 12-round unanimous decision at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom, Las Vegas. Nelson finished strong, surprisingly getting the better of Pacheco in the last two rounds.
The judges scored it 117-111, 117-111, and 117-111.
“The cut threw my game plan off,” said Nelson after the fight. “He was boxing and doing his thing. My game plan was thrown off. He started holding me and he didn’t want to fight on the inside. He’s a good fighter. He’s ready to move up and take on the big dogs, but I’m still here, too. I’m ready for anybody.”
Results
Lightweight contender Andy Cruz (5-0, 2 KOs) outboxed and out-punched Omar Salcido (20-2, 14 KOs) in cruising to a one-sided 10-round unanimous decision. The scores were 99-91, 98-92, and 98-92. In the tenth, Cruz hurt Salcido in the final 20 seconds, nailing him with shots, and forcing him to hold to survive.
Punch stats:
Cruz: 203 of 610 shots for 33%
Salcido: 53 of 474 for 13%
Unbeaten light welterweight Ernesto Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) crushed former two-time world champion Jose Pedraza (29-7-1, 14 KOs), knocking him out with a beautiful illegal right hand to the back of the head in the fourth.
Pedraza got back up after being dropped by Mercado, but the referee did the right thing, waving it off. The time of the stoppage was at 2:08. The loss for the 35-year-old Pedraza was his third in a row. It was all one-sided with Mercado doing all the throwing and landing up until he scored the knockout.
Light welterweight prospect Leonardo Rubalcava (9-0-1, 3 KOs) and Israel Mercado (11-1-2, 7 KOs) battled to a questionable eight-round majority draw. Mercado looked like the better fighter, out-slugging a tired-looking Rubalcava from the second round. Rubalcava knocked Mercardo down in round one. In the seventh, Mercado was docked a point for a low blow. He’d been given a hard warning earlier in the fight for low blows.
The scores
76-74 – Mercado
75-75
75-75
According to DAZN, promoter Eddie Hearn wanted to sign Rubalcava if he looked good tonight. After this performance, he may not be so eager to sign him.
Junior middleweight prospect Nishant Dev (1-0, 1 KO) destroyed Alton Wiggins (1-1-1), knocking him down twice in a first-round technical knockout in his professional debut for Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.
The referee, Robert Hoyle, waved it off after Wiggins had fallen without getting hit during the action. Wiggins, 28, had already been shaken up by some heavy shots from Devin moments before and looked hurt. The time of the stoppage was at 2:48 of round one.
Lightweight prospect Harley Mederos (8-0, 7 KOs) looked powerful in knocking out Arturo de Isla (5-3-1, 4 KOs) by a knockout in round three. Mederos connected with a right-left to drop de Isla in the third round. The right was then halted by referee Raul Caiz Jr., who stopped the contest at 1:27 in round three.
The Brooklyn, New York native Mederos focused on throwing a lot of hard left hooks throughout the fight and battering de Isla. At 5’6″, Medereros looked like a block of granite at height and dominated Isla with big shots in the one-sided fight. After the fight, there was talk of Mederos fighting at 130.
Unbeaten Super featherweight prospect Zaquin Moses (2-0, 1 KOs) made easy work of Mario Garcia (3-1, 3 KOs), battering him with power shots throughout the first round. After the round ended, Garcia revealed that he’d injured a bicep, and he was in too much pain to come out for the second. The time of the stoppage was at 3:00 of round one.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaE8mzYPcNc&pp=ygUQbWF0Y2hyb29tIGJveGluZw%3D%3D
