What to Know
- Diego Pacheco returned to the site of his last knockout win two years ago in Carson, California, and repeated the feat with a TKO win over Immanuwel Aleem in 11 rounds.
- Pacheco credited his new team led by Buddy McGirt for guiding him to the win.
- Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn and Pacheco called for a fight with WBA Super Middleweight champion Jaime Munguia of Tijuana, staged in Southern California at the War Grounds in November.
Super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco knew a win by decision, even a dominant one, wouldn’t cut it at Carson, California’s open-air arena best known as the War Grounds.
- What to Know
- Succesful Debut for Pacheco and Buddy McGirt
- Diego Pacheco: Everyone Knows I’m A Knockout Fighter
- How Realistic Is A Fight With Jaime Munguia?
- Andy Cruz Back In Business
- Chopping Them Down: Albert Gonzalez Flying Up The Featherweight Rankings
- Rios Jr. and Sanchez in Carson Classic
- Double Trouble From Atang and Pacheco
In front of his hometown Los Angeles fans, Pacheco (26-0, 19 KOs) delivered what fans wanted and what he needed to move the needle, an 11th-round knockout victory over a durable and determined Immanuwel Aleem of Richmond, Virginia (22-5-3, 14 KOs).
Succesful Debut for Pacheco and Buddy McGirt
Pacheco, age 25, completed his first camp with new trainer Buddy McGirt. While Pacheco and McGirt set low expectations for seeing any major changes, the new team is off to a good start. Pacheco was generous with his praise after the win, his first knockout in two years.
“Having that coach with that experience, he told me some great things in that corner, and I listened to him. I trusted him, and we got the job done,” said Pacheco.
Perhaps there was just a touch of the Carson magic in play, too. The knockout was Pacheco’s first in two years. The last one happened in Carson two years ago against Maciej Sulecki.
Emmanuel Aleem made Pacheco work for it. Although Pacheco was dominating nearly every round against Aleem, he had never been stopped. He is durable to a fault and was determined to at least stay on his feet to the bell.
Pacheco showed a livelier and more versatile jab, especially in the first half of the fight. With his 79-inch reach at 6-foot-4, it’s a tool that Pacheco can use for multiple tasks: as a lead hand, as a distraction, as a timing and distance mechanism. This is one of McGirt’s specialties. Call him the Jab Whisperer.
It was in Aleem’s best interests to make the fight rough and a little dirty. Pacheco is more than willing to fight on the inside and give up his advantages fighting on the outside, similar to Sebastian Fundora. He’s got the power to make it stick, but he takes incoming fire to make it work.
As the fight progressed, Pacheco added solid body punching to the mix, along with eye-catching uppercuts and right hands that got Aleem’s attention along with the fans. It was the repeated uppercuts that rolled up damage on Aleem and slowed him down.
The punishment Aleem took for nearly ten rounds was impressive and hard to watch at the same time. Referee Ray Corona never took his eyes off Aleem, circling closely to save him at the first possible opportunity.
Pacheco finally got Aleem to yield near the end of the tenth round.
ALEEM FINALLY HITS THE CANVAS! @DAZNBoxing #PachecoAleem pic.twitter.com/Tgqx25nWgl
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) July 19, 2026
Aleem survived, but when he came out for the 11th round, Corona asked the ringside physician to take a look at Aleem. Corona warned Aleem he was on thin ice before he let the round continue. Pacheco seized the moment and unleashed his best shots. It took nearly the entire round, but between the uppercuts, body shots, and right hooks, Aleem’s night ended at 2:52 of round 11, the first stoppage loss of his career.
Diego Pacheco: Everyone Knows I’m A Knockout Fighter
Fight
It was something WBC Interim Super Middleweight champion Lester Martinez wasn’t able to do against Aleem in March.
“I feel like I’m a much better fighter than Aleem and Lester put together,” said Pacheco. “I just came out and showed that I control my jab, put my punches together, listen to my corner, and we got the job done.
“Everyone knows that I’m a knockout fighter. Ever since the amateurs, I’ve been putting guys out. “To go decision my last three fights, you know, it just didn’t sit right with me. I had to come out here, make sure I put it on him, and got him out of there.”
How Realistic Is A Fight With Jaime Munguia?
Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn, who has promoted Pacheco since he was 17 years old, had nothing but praise for Pacheco and for the new team led by Buddy McGirt. Hearn then called for a fight between Pacheco and WBA World Super Middleweight champion Jaime Munguia of Tijuana.
“For Los Angeles, is there a better fight than Diego Pacheco against Jaime Munguia for the World Super Middleweight title? I mean, that is a mega fight here (in Carson).
“We’ll be back around November time, and we will be back here. We want to be back in this arena, you know, and we want to be against another big name.”
Hearn later walked back his statement a touch, saying that Pacheco is perhaps in another camp with McGirt and another fight away from challenging Munguia, suggesting opponents like Armando Resendiz or even Bruno Serace. Pacheco vs Resendiz would pack the War Grounds. But Hearn also said if Munguia came calling, there would be a decision to make.
Andy Cruz Back In Business
In the co-main event, Andy Cruz of Florida (7-1, 4 KOs) made his comeback fight count with an impressive knockout win over late replacement opponent Abraham Montoya of Mexicali (24-8-1, 14 KOs). The tough-as-nails journeyman had never been stopped, but that streak was snapped by Cruz starting at the end of the second round.
Cruz drilled Montoya with a series of punches ending in a hard right hook dropping him at the bell.
ON THE BELL! 🧨 #CruzMontoya #PachecoAleem pic.twitter.com/3jwxRJpuTe
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) July 19, 2026
Montoya got to his feet, wobbling and visibly stunned with his eyes rolling back. Referee Tom Taylor gave the count, then asked for the round bell to sound to ensure Cruz didn’t cross the ring and land a punch.
It only prolonged the finish. Cruz went back to work and needed just 54 seconds to end the fight. It was the confidence boost Cruz needed even more than the win.
“I like challenges, and tonight was just that,” said Cruz, who said having to pick himself up after his first loss was difficult. “The worst part for me was the whole situation, feeling powerless in the face of my struggle, and how it turned out, despite my best efforts.”
Cruz is now expected to drop from 135 pounds to 130 pounds. “130 watch out. I’m ready for more challenges,” said Cruz.
Chopping Them Down: Albert Gonzalez Flying Up The Featherweight Rankings
It seemed half the fans in the house were wearing Chop Chop gear. They saw their man Albert “Chop Chop” Gonzalez of Riverside, California (18-0, 11 KOs) deliver a quick knockout win over Aaron Lopez Almeda of Nogales, Mexico (31-4, 18 KOs).
Gonzalez wasted little time going at Almeda, who had never been stopped. He dished out a vicious body shot, and he said later he knew when the punch landed, Almeda was not getting up. Referee Ray Armendariz gave Almeda the courtesy of the full count, but the fight was over at 1:52 of round two.
Gonzalez, age 24, won the regional NABF featherweight title. He called out every featherweight with a title, borrowing a line from Adrien Broner, saying, “Anyone can get it.”
We spoke with Gonzalez after the fight about the knockout punch and his future plans.
Gonzalez is ambitious and will press Top Rank matchmakers to be aggressive on his behalf. Trainer Robert Garcia believes Gonzalez has the potential to be the next Bam Rodriguez, which is a significant statement about his future.
Rios Jr. and Sanchez in Carson Classic
Bantamweights Saul Sanchez and Bruno Rios Jr. got the main card off to a good start with a Carson classic. After ten rounds of nonstop close-quarters action, Rios Jr. of Los Angeles (9-0, 7 KOs) got a narrow but well-deserved decision over Sanchez of North Hollywood (24-5-1, 12 KOs). Scores were 96-93, 96-93, and 95-94.
Rios Jr. took a significant step up to face Sanchez, a veteran struggling to get his career back on track. Rios hadn’t faced anyone with Sanchez’s experience and skills and was a serious underdog. With his local fans cheering him on in Carson, he gained confidence every round, stepping up nicely with crisper shots and movement to get the win.
Double Trouble From Atang and Pacheco
Fight
Two promising heavyweight prospects both made quick work of their opponents on the early undercard.
Southern Californians got their first look at 19-year-old heavyweight prospect Leo Atang of Yorkshire, England, but it wasn’t a long look. Atang (8-0, 7 KOs) predicted a second-round knockout, and he got one at 2:50 of the round after referee Ray Armendariz determined Glen Williams of Houston (2-2, 1 KO) had taken too much punishment. It’s too early to tell whether Atang will be the second coming of Anthony Joshua, but he’s on the right track.
Earlier, Diego Pacheco’s younger brother, Federico Pacheco Jr. of Los Angeles (11-0, 8 KOs) faced Nick Jones of Oklahoma (9-6, 6 KOs), who was looking for redemption after a loss to Efe Ajagba. Jones didn’t get much of a chance. Halfway through round 2, Jones suffered an obvious biceps injury. Referee Thomas Taylor stopped the fight, giving Pacheco the TKO win.
“The first right hand I threw, it landed flush. So I knew it would just be a matter of time. I think he knew that as well,” said Pacheco.
Gayle Falkenthal is an award-winning boxing journalist with more than four dozen awards for both written and video coverage from the Boxing Writers Association of America, Society of Professional Journalists, and San Diego Press Club, where she is the past president. She is the only woman journalist who is a full voting member of the BWAA. She is the Boxing Editor for NY Fights based in San Diego, California.
