DIEGO Pacheco stopped Maciej Sulecki in round six at the Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, California, last night. Seeking to reinforce his status as a super-middleweight star of the future, headlining on DAZN, the man promoted by Matchroom delivered the goods against a tough contender opponent.
Using his skills to dictate the pace early on, following a knee-buckling end to the fifth, Pacheco’s corner team told him the end was near but not to get overconfident. Once Diego identified the Pole’s available body, he feinted to the head and ruthlessly raked the ribs with a whipping left hook to the liver, forcing a stoppage at 54 seconds of the sixth. Referee Ray Corona waived it off as Sulecki wriggled and rolled on the canvas.
Before the bout, Pacheco said he would consider fighting Christian Mbilli, Erik Bazinyan, or Edgar Berlanga (who fights Canelo on September 14). Pacheco is now mandatory for Canelo’s WBO 168-pound strap, although his team insists that fight would arrive too soon.
“Honestly, I didn’t even land it that hard so I didn’t think it would be over,” remarked Pacheco when later questioned on the finishing body shot.
“He was just a strong fighter, he was a good fighter, he was coming forward, but like I said I feel like my skills and my hard work combined makes for a great fighter. That’s what I am, a great fighter.”
Promoter Eddie Hearn described it as a spectacular performance by a superstar in the making. Hearn wants a fight between Pacheco and Jaime Munguia next.
Pacheco improves his record to 22-0 with knockout number 18. At just 23 years of age, with an unbeaten record, solid fanbase and imposing 6’4” frame, the Los Angeles native is going places.
Sulecki, meanwhile, drops to 32-3 (12 KOs), having previously lost to Daniel Jacobs and Demetrius Andrade. However, both of those outings went the 12-round distance, and this is the first time the 35-year-old Warsaw man has been stopped.
