‘Mbilli, Berlanga, Bazinyan, I’m ready’: Diego Pacheco aiming to step up competition

Diego Pacheco returns Saturday, but is aiming for bigger names at 168.

Diego Pacheco returns to action this Saturday, as the young and undefeated super middleweight contender faces Maciej Sulecki in a DAZN main event from Carson, Calif.

Pacheco, 23, has kept himself active and taking little steps up the ladder for the past few years, impressing along the way, but is hoping that a win Saturday will result in him graduating into the mix of top contenders at 168 lbs.

“A win gets me that step closer,” said Pacheco (21-0, 17 KO). “If I can do that, it hopefully gets me a fight with someone that’s in the top 10 with me, and then become mandatory for one of the titles and next year, get that world title shot.

“I don’t feel like I have to show anything in particular. People have already seen that I can knock people out, that I can hurt people to the body, I can drop guys with uppercuts, hurt them with jabs. It’s more just getting the win and looking good, that’s what I train for, there’s no added pressure.”

Three particular names are on Pacheco’s mind: Christian Mbilli, Edgar Berlanga, and Erik Bazinyan.

“There’s Mbilli, Berlanga, Bazinyan; there’s a lot of good fighters out there that I would face and I’m ready for any of them. It’s hard for those guys to fight me because they think I’m just a young kid who hasn’t done much in the sport. But one fight at a time it’s getting to the point where they can’t deny me anymore and those fights will have to be made, and I have a promoter in Eddie Hearn and Matchroom who gets those fights lined up, so in due time I’ll be mixing it up with them all.”

Mbilli is just coming off of a win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko earlier this month, while Berlanga is of course lined up to face Canelo Alvarez on Sept. 14, and Bazinyan has his own big fight in September, facing Jaime Munguia on Sept. 20.