Trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. says his fighter Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) isn’t forgetting Steven Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) in their 12-round headliner this Saturday, Jan. 25 at Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom, in Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast live on DAZN.
(Credit: Boxing Matchroom)
Jose Sr. says they could have fought anyone, but they wanted Nelson, 36, who isn’t exactly young for a nine-year-old professional player. He got a late start in the professional ranks due to his long amateur career, but he has the talent to potentially win this fight if he can get to the 23-year-old Pacheco’s chin. We saw Diego make a few close calls.
On the undercard, lightweight contender Andy Cruz will face Omar Salcido in a 10-round fight. Cruz is looking to challenge WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson for his belt.
No view of Nelson
“They don’t want to face a fighter like Diego Pacheco. Canelo has everything to lose and nothing to gain,” José Benavidez Sr. told Sean Zittel about Canelo Alvarez probably never agreeing to fight Diego Pacheco.
“That will never happen because Canelo wants to fight the fighters that come at you. Fighters that don’t look that impressive. Diego Pacheco has good forehands. He is young, with good legs and strength. power,” Jose Sr. said.
“He’s a good fighter. He is strong and relies on his power. This is why we don’t underestimate Steven Nelson. We take him very seriously because he wants the same thing as Diego Pacheco. He wants to beat us to have the big fights. We want to beat him to get the big fights. This is going to be a lot of fun for me and for the people.
“We were trying to make an eliminator with Christian Mbilli. We signed the paper and he said, “No, he wants to do another fight.” » We are ready. These are the fights that will get us there. Dangerous fights to prove to the people.
“We are proving ourselves and focusing on Steven Nelson. He is a very dangerous fighter. After that, we will consider our options. Right now, we are 100 percent committed to Steve Nelson,” Benavidez Sr. said.
