Rising contender Diego Pacheco continues to make his journey up the super middleweight ladder this Saturday facing Steven Nelson streaming live on DAZN. From a boxing perspective Pacheco and Nelson took vastly different paths before stepping in the ring. Diego began boxing at the age of 10 winning 8 national championships in the unpaid ranks. Nelson started boxing in his twenties and needed time to develop to get to this stage.
On the top of many prospects of the year lists in 2023, Pacheco is now aiming at a world title and Nelson is standing in the way of his lifetime goal. In his last outing Diego became the first fighter to stop Maciej Sulecki. Although Sulecki was no longer in his prime it’s still something he can hang his hat on. The fight before that came against then undefeated prospect Shawn McCalman. Over 10 rounds Pacheco won the fight clearly but even he would admit it wasn’t his best showing thus far.
Some folks in the business on boxing twitter started to define Diego’s ceiling off that subpar performance. While other thought those rounds are needed to develop and be ready when adversity hits versus a tougher opponent in the near future. Regardless we will find out how far along Diego Pacheco is on Saturday. Steven Nelson is 20-0 as a pro with 16 knockouts. Nelson has fought a few solid boxers along the way but this will be his toughest test to date.
Diego has a sizable reach advantage over Steven, so this boxing podcasters guess is he will ease his way into the fight. Pacheco’s jab, length, and combination punching will be on display as the bout wears on. This boxing junkie does believe Nelson will present some issues that Diego will need to think about and adjust. Pacheco is a fluid puncher with power in both hands.
Nelson has power as well and will be looking to close the gap behind a jab he throws in multiples. Nelson is a great body puncher using both hands landing hooks, jabs, and upper cuts. He does have a bit of a wide stance and has a tendency to stand in front of his foe for too long of stretches. Consistent pressure attacking the body and head along with some form of defense (chin) will be needed to win for Nelson.
A separator beyond the amateur pedigree of Pacheco is the fact the Nelson has fought just 3 times since 2020. Neither guy has been the 12-round distance so that could play as a key factor if it goes to the later frames. Early success for Nelson will be slowly but surely neutralized by Pacheco. Diego will have to dig deep in his bag in spots but will come out the victor in a competitive fight. Somewhere in the 8-4 range is realistic but if you are high on Nelson you might want lay down some doe. Steven is hovering around +275 to +300 as a fairly live dog on the betting books. Overall skill, experience, and recent activity will be the reason Diego Pacheco will get his hand raised.
My Official Prediction is Diego Pacheco by Unanimous Decision.
PODCAST LINK: http://tobtr.com/12398866
Side Note: Keep your eye on the undercard bouts featuring Ernesto Mercado vs. Jose Pedraza and Andy Cruz vs. Omar Salcido.
Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio
