THE super-middleweight scene is alive and well, with contenders jostling for a shot at the victor of Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford’s September showdown. In such a congested division, though, Diego Pacheco must somehow convince the public that he is the future at 168lbs.
Pacheco, 23-0 (18 KOs), has time on his side, but equally, the 24-year-old has foregone some of the momentum and excitement that previously surrounded him.
After storming through Jack Cullen and Manuel Gallegos in 2023, Pacheco seemed to be on track for a shot at Canelo and, in turn, the undisputed throne.
An underwhelming performance against Shawn McCalman then encouraged promoter Eddie Hearn to pump the brakes on his progression, much to the disappointment of Pacheco’s fans.
Pacheco then scored a solid knockout win against Maciej Sulecki, but a tough battle with Steven Nelson in his following outing drew further concern that the Los Angeles-born youngster may not be ready for the elite level just yet.
This weekend, featuring on the Jesse Rodriguez vs Phumelela Cafu undercard, he seeks a statement performance against Illinois-born contender Trevor McCumby, 28-1 (21 KOs), who enters their contest fresh off a career-first defeat.
Yet despite losing to former world champion Caleb Plant, McCumby’s stock grew as a result of that contest where, after dropping ‘Sweet Hands’ in a back-and-forth firefight, he was eventually stopped in the ninth round.
However, that defeat has aged poorly due to Plant’s shock loss to Jose Armando Resendiz in May. But against Pacheco, McCumby will be out to prove that he is amongst the cream of the crop in the division, rather than a fighter who failed to capitalise on Plant’s decline.
DIEGO PACHECO VS TREVOR MCCUMBY PREDICTION
Pacheco is a well-schooled, eight-time national amateur champion, and stands at an imposing 6’ 4”, but his difficulties while fighting on the inside against McCalman and Nelson have raised several eyebrows.
McCumby will almost certainly look to exploit this, closing down the distance before dragging the taller man into a dog fight. But that could be exactly why he has been selected as an opponent.
This outing should allow Pacheco to gain further experience of fighting on the inside, or, alternatively, experience of how to control a fight and not allow an opponent to work his way into the pocket.
Still, this is an awkward proposition for Pacheco, and Boxing News believes that he will show glimpses of improvement en route to a decision victory against his game opponent.
