What to Know
- Super middleweight Darius Fulghum mowed down Diego Pacheco with confidence and his power punching Saturday in Carson, California.
- Pacheco said he didn’t feel like himself from the opening bell.
- In the co-main event, Anthony Olascuagua survived another surprising challenge from Colombian Olympic medalist Yuberjen Martinez.
It was a rougher night than expected for two hometown favorites in Carson, California at the venue known as the War Grounds. It lived up to its reputation. One favorite survived, and one didn’t.
Super middleweight contender Darius Fulghum expressed the utmost confidence in his ability to defeat heavy favorite Diego Pacheco on Saturday.
To the surprise of everyone except for the challenger and his team, Fulghum of Houston (16-1-1 13 KOs) disarmed Pacheco (26-1, 19 KOs) and took him apart in a confident and commanding performance, winning a well-deserved decision. The official scores read 115-112, 115-112, and 114-113. Fulghum was deducted one point for rabbit punching.
Those of us sitting ringside scored the fight more generously in Fulghum’s favor. My card read 117-110.
Watch the highlights and decide.
Fulghum was well prepared and in top condition. The game plan was to crowd Pacheco and neutralize his 79-inch reach, rough him up and fight a little dirty if called on. Fulghum did all this and more.
Fulghum kept Pacheco in no man’s land, crowding him to handcuff the jab and moving beyond his range to stay out of incoming fire.
Fulghum is a former high school wrestler and still has that wiry toughness. Round after round, he pushed Pacheco around and leaned on him in clenches. The fatigue and then the damage began to show. A cut opened up on Pacheco’s left cheekbone, and bruising spread across the right side of his face.
What Worked for Darius Fulghum?
“I think it was the jab for sure. That was the big thing going into this fight. People said, ‘How are you going to get past the jab, his height, his reach, his length?’ In my mind I’m asking, ‘Hey, how about MY jab?’ I’ve got a really good jab myself! I made sure I put that to full effect in this fight,” said Fulghum.
Fulghum landed 82 jabs to Pacheco’s 63. He also outlanded Pacheco in power punches, 115 to 84 by Pacheco. He outworked him and outhustled him.
“If Pacheco was overlooking me, that’s something he’s got to sleep with at night. I said over and over, in life sometimes you only get one chance. I’m very fortunate and blessed that Golden Boy gave me another shot. They could have easily dropped me, but they believe in me so much. I wasn’t going to take that for granted … I got a second chance. I wasn’t going to let it go to waste.”
Rematch for Fulghum and Pacheco?
Pacheco said he didn’t feel like himself from the beginning of the fight and struggled to perform. Asked whether he’d had problems making weight, he said it wasn’t a factor. Pacheco was taken from the arena to an area hospital for an assessment as a precaution, and he didn’t speak to us.
“This division is stacked with so many big names. I think Diego will bounce back for sure, but I’m interested in fighting everyone in this division,” said Fulghum. Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn noted there is a rematch clause. He said he would encourage Pacheco to return and go right into the rematch.
“I’ve been the underdog my entire life,” said Fulghum. ‘You write your own reality. I’ve been in this position before. It’s nothing new to me. I came to this fight with the same mindset that I was not going to be denied,” said Fulghum.
Anthony Olascuaga Goes to War
The co-main event was meant to be a victory-lap homecoming fight for WBO World Flyweight champion Anthony “La Princesa” Olascuaga (13-1, 9 KOs), a Los Angeles native who had never fought in his hometown as a pro, with many of his fights taking place in Japan.
Undefeated Olympic silver medalist Yuberjen Martinez of Colombia (7-1, 7 KOs) had his own plans. Fans watched a nonstop power-punching clinic between the two flyweight powerhouses for 12 rounds.
Martinez won many of the early rounds, but Olascuagua dug down and dug himself out of the hole by rallying and blasting Martinez with punch after thudding punch.
With one second left before the final bell, Olascuagua scored a buzzer-beating knockdown of Martinez. Although Martinez got to his feet, it was enough to secure the champion’s win in his sixth title defense. The scores were 115-112, 115-112, and 114-113.
“He’s one of my toughest fights. I thought I was going to come here, and it would be easy. He was a great warrior. It was a fun fight,” said Olascuaga.
Despite the loss, Martinez put on an impressive performance. He pressed the fight, never letting Olascuaga settle in.
Olascuagua admitted he got off to a slow start. “He had me frustrated a few rounds. My coach kept telling me to go inside down the middle, throwing uppercuts. The jab was key. Every time I threw the jab, it kept landing. I just had to follow up.
“In a couple of those rounds I thought I had him hurt. I didn’t know if it was to the body or an uppercut. I needed to settle down a little more.”
Fortunately, the flyweight champion with the unlikely nickname “La Princesa” relied on his conditioning to pour on the punishment, and both the body shots and uppercuts slowed Martinez down. But the knockdown happened on a hard right hook.
“I’m so glad to be able to come here and have a war, just like the tradition it has here at the War Grounds, in front of my friends and family. I said it wasn’t going to be easy, so here you have it,” said Olascuagua.
Charlie Sheehy Shines
Lightweight Charlie Sheehy’s team wanted him to show more aggression early and get a stoppage win Saturday night. Mission accomplished.
Sheehy of Brisbane, California (14-0, 8 KOs) peppered late replacement opponent Jose Matias Romero of Argentina (31-5-1, 11 KOs) for ten nonstop rounds, winning a definitive decision by scores of 100-90 three times. Sheehy wins the WBA Continental North American lightweight title.
Stablemate and friend Xander Zayas at the War Grounds watching his friend Sheehy ringside.
A quick chat with @XanderZayas in Carson here to support his stablemate @Charlantis23 for @NYFights #PachecoFulghum #boxing https://t.co/3QnKRxWV3S
— GayleFalkenthalOnBoxing (@GayleFalkenthal) November 15, 2026
Romero gave his best, even as he was forced to fight off the back foot. He took the punishment from Sheehy and kept on coming. It made for a fun, if one-sided, action fight.
David Adeleye Needs Just One Hand To Win
British heavyweight David “Big D” Adeleye (15-2, 13 KOs) returned to the ring Saturday with a decision win and will take home the WBA International Heavyweight belt.
But Adeleye paid for it, suffering a right bicep injury halfway through his fight with Alexander Flores of Los Angeles (21-7-1, 19 KOs).
Even when the Carson fans booed the lack of action, unaware of the injury, Adeleye did an admirable job fighting one-handed, keeping Flores from gaining any ground and winning by unanimous decision with three scorecards of 100-89 for the shutout, including a knockdown on a stiff jab in round three.
Adeleye said he started to realize he had a problem about the fourth or fifth round. “At first I thought it was my shoulder. But it was my bicep. I tore it. I tried to throw it short a couple of times to test it,” he said, but had to eventually pin the arm in a protective position and finish the fight.
“No excuses, I beat him with one hand. On to the next,” said Adeleye.
Results Before Sunset: Four Fights and None Go the Distance
Nishant was on 🔥 #TheFight | #PachecoFulghum | Live NOW Exclusively on DAZN & TNT ◼️ https://t.co/GX8vTeZaYy
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) November 14, 2026
Nishant Dev of India (8-0, 6 KOs) put on a show for his family, who traveled from India to Southern California to watch him for just the second time in person as a pro.
Dev took out Sona Akale of St. Paul, Minnesota (10-6, 5 KOs) in the third round, whipping him with hard left hooks punctuated by rights, before referee Robert Hoyle stepped in to stop the fight at 2:25.
The super middleweight Dev wants to become India’s first-ever world champion, a big goal for his country of 1.5 billion people.
Flashy super featherweight Zaquin Moses of Newark, New Jersey (9-0, 3 KOs) scored a third-round stoppage win in his first West Coast appearance. After peppering Manuel Valentine Lerma of Rio Bravo, Mexico (5-4-1) without giving him much of a chance to return fire. After the third round, Lerma retired in the corner and called it an early night.
Heavyweight prospect Federico Pacheco of Los Angeles (12-0, 9 KOs) gave his fans a few rounds of action before stopping former MMA and bare-knuckle fighter Jack May of Chino Hills, California (11-2, 10 KOs) after five rounds.
Pacheco has slimmed down nearly 50 pounds since his pro debut. Pacheco says the result is improved handspeed and stamina, letting him move around the ring more freely.
Frank Espinoza of Sacramento (6-0, 6 KOs) maintained his perfect knockout record. It took just two rounds against Abisai Torres Diaz of Monterrey, Mexico (5-3-2, 1 KOs) in the middleweight division.
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.
