Rising super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco scored a one sided TKO over veteran Immanuwel Aleem in the Matchroom Boxing main event Saturday night in Carson, CA.
Unbeaten, young 168 lb. contender Diego Pacheco delivered one of the most dominant performances of his career, overwhelming veteran contender Immanuwel Aleem before forcing an 11th-round stoppage in Saturday night's Matchroom Boxing main event on DAZN at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Fighting close to his Los Angeles hometown, Pacheco showcased a relentless attack that left Aleem battered from start to finish and improved Pacheco to 26-0 with 19 KOs. Thus, it improves his status in the top 10 of all four world organizations.
Pacheco seized complete control early, but the fight took a dramatic turn in the fifth when a crushing right uppercut staggered Aleem. From there, he repeatedly snapped Aleem's head back with a sharp jab while mixing in heavy power shots.
Between rounds, new trainer Buddy McGirt urged Pacheco to invest more in body work, and the 25-year-old immediately responded. Digging hard shots to the midsection while continuing to punish Aleem upstairs, Pacheco systematically broke down the Richmond, Virginia native, whose determination was the only thing keeping him in the contest.
Pacheco executed the game plan he and McGirt had crafted, using a disciplined jab to control the distance before unleashing right hands, uppercuts and thudding body punches.
Aleem, now 22-5-3 with 14 KOs, absorbed tremendous punishment throughout the one-sided bout before finally being dropped and stopped in the 11th round, as Pacheco's sustained pressure proved too much to withstand,.
“I feel like I’m a much better fighter than Aleem and Lester (Martinez) put together and I came out and showed it,” Pacheco said. “I controlled him with my jab, put my punches together, listened to my corner, and we got the job done.”
He said he was very happy with his new partnership with McGirt.
“He told me some great things in the corner and I listened to him,” he said. “I trusted him, and we got the job done.”
“Aleem is one tough fighter,” Pacheco continued. “He had a lot of heart but this is my home court and I had to give a great show for my fans.”
Now, we'll see if a title shot at super middleweight will be in his short term future. Pacheco actually passed on a chance to fight new WBO champ Hamzah Sheeraz due to wanting to change trainers and work a camp with an easier fight with McGirt.
In the co-feature fight, Cuban lightweight Andy Cruz won his adjusted bout with replacement, Abraham Montoya with an easy third round TKO.
Cruz, the 2021 Gold Medalist at the Tokyo Summer Games, improved to 7-1, 4 KOs, by dropping Montoya, who took the fight two weeks ago, late in the second round with a big right hand.
Montoya was clearly hurt, but beat the count, as the bell rang to end the stanza. He was allowed the :60 between rounds to try to recover, but Cruz jumped all over him with a barrage of rights and lefts, trapping him in his own corner and the fight was stopped just :44 seconds into the third.
Cruz, who lost an IBF title fight to Raymond Muratalla last time out, confirmed after the fight that despite fighting his entire pro career at lightweight, he intends to make the unusual move to move down to 130 lb. He's in hopes of getting a title fight at junior lightweight in the near future.
