On Saturday, Maciej Sulecki was defending fairly well against the headshots coming his way. The Polish veteran wasn't winning the fight, but he was taking the power out of Diego Pacheco's signature right hand by keeping his guard high and moving his feet. However, Pacheco has more than one state-of-the-art weapon.
With less than a minute gone in round six, the unbeaten Californian followed the right with a solid left hook to the liver. It was a perfect shot that landed as flush as a single hammer strike knocking a nail into a block of wood. Sulecki, who had never been stopped in a fourteen-year professional career, was left writhing on the canvas in agony and didn't get to his feet for almost a minute.
WATCH: Diego Pacheco vs. Maciej Sulecki on DAZN
In boxing, it's not just about winning, it's about how you win. This was a statement performance from the 22-0 Pacheco, who is the WBO's No. 1 contender as well as The Ring's No. 4-rated super middleweight. Given his credentials and the promotional and broadcaster backing he has under the Matchroom-DAZN umbrella, one could envision Pacheco fighting for a world title very soon.
However, is Pacheco ready for unified super middleweight champ and pound-for-pound superstar Canelo Alvarez?
Will Canelo Alvarez fight Diego Pacheco?
First of all, Canelo has business to take care of against Puerto Rican power puncher Edgar Berlanga in Las Vegas on September 14. The Mexican hero is an overwhelming favorite to win that fight, which is why fans and media are already looking ahead.
If Canelo is to stay at 168 pounds, then there aren't too many options. The David Benavidez fight looks as unrealistic as ever after "The Mexican Monster" gave up the chase and moved to light heavyweight. The other contenders on Canelo's tail include Canadian hitter Christian Mbilli (27-0), Cuban lefty Osleys Iglesias (12-0) and Russian star Vladimir Shishkin (16-0).
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The knock on Pacheco is that he doesn't have the requisite experience to face a fighter as seasoned as Canelo. However, that begs the question, who does? Canelo, who is heading into his 66th professional bout, was a multi-weight world champion before any of the aforementioned fighters entered the paid ranks. He's had more title fights (25) than any active champion in boxing today.
Pacheco is always improving, so Canelo might feel it's wise to take this fight sooner rather than later.
Can Diego Pacheco beat Canelo Alvarez?
Pacheco would open as a huge underdog. However, while Berlanga's ball-to-the-wall, gun-slinging style looks made to order for Canelo's vaunted counterpunching, the 23-year-old Pacheco has one or two attributes that could be troublesome.
In the Sulecki fight, we saw evidence of Pacheco's educated left jab, which was finding the mark early. It was this punch that both Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol used to great effect when they soundly outpointed Canelo in his only career setbacks.
Keeping Canelo at a distance would be key for Pacheco and he certainly has the dimensions to do it. The unbeaten contender is 6-4 to Canelo's 5-7 ½ and he has a 79-inch reach to the champion's 70 ½ inches. Those are insane advantages.
However, Canelo has been outsized before. Despite his short stature, we saw the Guadalajara native comfortably outbox then-WBA and Ring Magazine super middleweight champion Callum Smith in 2020. Smith, who was a lot more experienced than Pacheco, had almost identical advantages and he couldn't get a thing done.
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The other problem for Pacheco is that he is a bit leaky. Against Shawn McCalman back in April, he was caught frequently before claiming a unanimous decision win. If a fighter the quality of McCalman is scoring heavily, then what can an elite-level pound-for-pound player like Canelo do?
The good news is that Pacheco is getting better all the time under the tutelage of Jose Benavidez. The team will be working on his defense in the gym, so there's time to improve in this area and add to his repertoire.
Right now, Canelo has to be favored to defeat Pacheco, but times change. The champion will be 35 years old in July and he's carrying the wear and tear of a 19-year professional career. Father Time is undefeated and he's just waiting for Canelo to overstay his welcome.