Diego Pacheco goes up against Marcelo Esteban Coceres of Argentina on Saturday, November 18 at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. The pair squares off in the scheduled for 10 rounds main event bout live on DAZN.
Unbeaten Pacheco (19-0, 16 KOs) brings to the ring his WBO International and USWBC super middleweight belts. In his previous outing in July in Monterrey, Mexico, the 22-year-old stopped Manuel Gallegos in the fourth round. In March in Liverpool, Los Angeles native eliminated Jack Cullen also in Round 4.
Pacheco’s next opponent, Buenos Aires-based Coceres (32-5-1, 18 KOs) last fought in May in González Catán, Argentina where were he defeated Leonel Eduardo Avila via second-round TKO. The 32-year-old native of Villaguay, Entre Rios goes through the ropes for the second time in 2023 and eyes his second straight victory.
“It’s so special to have a homecoming show,” Diego Pacheco said. “It’s the most important fight of my career so far, it’s time for me to headline at home. I’ve headlined in the UK and in Mexico, so to be bringing everyone out to LA is surreal, I dreamt of this as a little kid and now I can’t wait to perform on Saturday and begin a while new chapter in my career. If Eddie told me I’m fighting Canelo, I feel I would give him a good fight. I want Edgar Berlanga next after this fight. I think I knock him out, cold.”
“To be doing this at 22 is cool. I thought maybe I would headline in a World title fight when I was 24 or 25. This weekend it’s the YouTube Theater, hopefully down the line it will be the SoFi Stadium. It’s a five-minute drive from my mom’s house, so it’s perfect to be having my first headline show there.”
“It’s been a great year for me. I unexpectedly became the main event in the UK in March, and I rose to the occasion and put on a great performance. The experience was great, fighting Cullen, he was a long fighter, but he didn’t have too much that fazed me or worried me at all, I just knew that I had to keep to the game plan, stick to my jab, stay sharp and the KO would come, and it did. I hit him with a few right hands that made him forget about the body, I went downstairs and got him out of there.”
“I grew up in South Central LA. I always feel I owe this to my parents. They sacrificed a lot and believed in me before anyone else. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am. I come from a low-income family so for my dad to get me to all the amateur tournaments meant a lot and made me think ‘how I am not going to give my all when they have sacrificed so much for me?’”
In the co-main event, two-division world champion Mayerlin Rivas makes the third defense of her WBA super bantamweight title against former world champion Erika Cruz. Also on the card, former WBA super flyweight champion Khalid Yafai takes on Jonathan Rodriguez for the vacant WBA Intercontinental bantamweight belt. As well, Marc Castro meets Gonzalo Fuenzalida at super featherweight, Criztec Bazaldua faces Pedro Angel Cruz at lightweight and Jalan Walker battles Jorge Villegas at super featherweight.
In Australia, Pacheco vs Coceres airs live on Sunday, November 19.
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