Divine Determination Drives Diego Pacheco to Boxing Success

Diego Pacheco says he always stood out, even at a young age.

“Since I was 12 years old, I've always been one of the guys who stood out from everyone,” recalls the now 23-year-old Pacheco. “I was the guy who, with zero fights, went and won a national title, and I went on to win eight more.

“I was always a lot taller than everyone, so I always had to spar hard and fight guys older than me because of my size,” explained Pacheco, who credits his father for instilling confidence in his skills from a young age.

Diego Pacheco drops Marcelo Coceres during their fight at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. Photo: Ed Mulholland, Matchroom.

“I've always been that guy who learned fast and always set the highest goals for myself. I always did whatever it took to get there. I mean, whether it be (to) just be in the gym all day, then that's what it took. I'm very determined when I want something. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get there,” added Pacheco.

Pacheco (21-0, 17 KOs) brings his ambitions home to the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California on Saturday, August 31, where he fights in the main event on DAZN. Tickets are available via AXS.COM.

Knowledgeable boxing fans know it as the “War Grounds,” a top pound-for-pound venue with a reputation as the home of numerous Fights of the Year: from Vazquez vs. Marquez 2 to Bradley vs. Provodnikov to Salido vs Vargas in 2016, it’s where the all-action fighters shine brightest.  

NY Fights recently talked with Diego Pacheco about his upcoming fight, what it took to get him here, and how fatherhood fuels his ambitions.

Diego Pacheco Returns to Southern California

Los Angeles native Pacheco knows the venue well, both as a fan and as an 18-year-old scoring a third-round knockout in early action on the undercard of Jaime Munguia vs. Patrick Allotey.

The last Fight of the Year to take place at Dignity Health Sports Park was the brawl to a draw between Orlando Salido and Francisco Vargas in 2016. Photo: Tom Hogan

“I remember as a little kid and going to see fights there. It was always an amazing time. I love going there as a fan and watching whoever was fighting do their thing because it was always, for some reason, there's always good fights. There's always a good atmosphere, and it's always fun, you know?” recalls Pacheco.

Since then, Pacheco has fought on bigger stages from Saudi Arabia to Liverpool to Mexico. He will make his ring walk on Saturday in the main event, facing durable Polish veteran Maciej Sulecki (32-2, 12 KOs). Sulecki’s only losses were to Daniel Jacbos and Demetrius Andrade. Sulecki has never been stopped.

“It’s amazing to think I was at Dignity Health opening the show as a young prospect, and now I’m headlining a show here with young fighters on my undercard,” said Pacheco. “It’s a great feeling having fighters look up to me and be one of the best fighters right now from LA. I love hearing ‘from Los Angeles, California’ when I’m being announced, and I always want to represent the city well.”

“I’m a father now, so there’s a lot of things that come into play that will benefit me in my career. I’m stronger and faster and just a lot better than I was then. I’m excited to show the fans that as I’m getting older, I’m getting better, I’m getting stronger, and I’m looking forward to delivering once again,” added Pacheco. His baby daughter, Divine Amor Pacheco, is now six months old.

Learning Experiences on Big Stages  

Diego Pacheco fought Selemani Saidi on the undercard of Ruiz vs. Joshua 2 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in 2019.
Photo: Dave Thompson

Pacheco said being on big stages at a young age offered valuable lessons he soaked up. “I was able to see how everything worked, the way everything was promoted, and the way the main event guys would move, and the way they treated everyone.

“Now I'm here. Now I'm the guy headlining. I'm now. I'm the guy who has all the bright lights on him and I love it, man. I feel like this is where I belong, and I will continue to shine and do my thing so I can, so I can stay here.”

Pacheco’s work ethic has been honed as part of Team Benavidez, moving from Southern California when the camp relocated to Washington. Sparring alongside and with David Benavidez Jr. (which Pacheco estimates as “thousands of rounds”) and stablemates like newly crowned champion Jose Valenzuela, Pacheco’s mission is ultimately a simple one, he says: get better every single day.

“I'm trying to work on the little things. You know, there's days where I'm just working on the basic one-two consistently for hours straight. That's boxing.

“There's really only a few things you can do in there,” points out Pacheco. “Practice those things and get better at that. That's what I've been doing, and it's been working for me.

“When it comes to defense, when it comes to countering, when it comes to blocking and coming back, when it comes to angling out, just passing, all those things have been key for me, and I'll continue to work on those things. I'm always a student of the game, and I'm always looking to just keep getting better,” concluded Pacheco.

Mindset and Strategy for Competitive Division

Follow through on the uppercut by Diego Pacheco that scores the knockout win over Marcelo Coceres. Photo: Ed Mulholland, Matchroom.

Pacheco competes in a highly competitive division, with unified and former undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez reigning at the top. Stablemate Benavidez has now moved up to light heavyweight, but ambitious challengers like Christian Mbilli, Edgar Berlanga, and Eric Bazinyan are willing to risk their unbeaten records for championship glory.

Pacheco appreciated being recognized as a contender. He believes in his skills, in hard work, and the heart to make it happen.  

“I have the intelligence in the ring, the IQ. Maybe some people haven't seen that from me yet, but the people who know now and in due time, everyone will see it,” said Pacheco. “I feel like it's a good time in boxing. There’s a lot of good fighters, a lot of hungry fighters, and I feel like boxing is in a good place right now.”

Fighting Is Now About Family for Diego Pacheco

Diego Pacheco with wife Jo and daughter Divine Amor Pacheco at the Estrada vs. Rodriguez bout in Phoenix on June 29, 2024. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

The 23-year-old now resides in Seattle with his young family, having first relocated his training camp there with trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. at the start of 2022. Pacheco says he loves living in Seattle and raising his family there. But Los Angeles will always be his home, and fighting in Southern California remains a priority. “I will always love fighting in LA,” said Pacheco. 

Pacheco now fights as a young father. Daughter Divine Amor Pacheco is almost seven months old, and he reflects on how quickly time has passed.

“I was just telling my wife, I feel like it was yesterday where we found out about her, and we're jumping up and screaming out in the air and going crazy. Now she's six months already, about to be seven. Time is going by so fast. It's honestly, man, it's just beautiful to see her grow and see all the little things she's learning at such a little age. It just makes me excited, man. I honestly want to have more kids already,” laughed Pacheco.

“Waking up every day and seeing my daughter, seeing my wife, and having breakfast with them before I go train are moments that I would never take for granted. Coming home from the gym as well and doing it all over again, it's just amazing. It gives me that extra motivation, to have them here with me, and knowing that they depend fully on me and no one else.

“It’s something that's unexplainable. It's a feeling that's an amazing feeling, and it pushes you every day. I'm extremely grateful for where I'm at right now and excited for what's to come.

“I look at life very differently now. I have my family, I have people who depend on me, and that’s extra motivation to get where I want to get to,” said Pacheco.

Diego Pacheco went the distance against Shawn McCalman during their fight on April 6, 2024, at the BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. Photo: Ed Mulholland, Matchroom.

It's not surprising Pacheco’s last bout against rugged Shawn McCalman went the ten-round distance. Divine Pacheco was barely two weeks old. It’s fair to give a first-time father a bit of a pass. Now, Pacheco says his daughter is sleeping through the night.

Pacheco is expected to defend his WBC USA and WBO International super middleweight titles. He is currently the top-ranked contender by the WBO and fourth by the WBC and IBF, and Ring Magazine’s ratings committee.

The ambitious Pacheco said he’d like to face the winner of Alvarez’s title defense against Edgar Berlanga. A more likely candidate is undefeated Eric Bazinyan, the Armenian-born super middleweight fighting out of Quebec.

Pacheco exemplifies boxing's new generation of fighters, along with bantamweight Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, lightweight Abdullah Mason, and middleweight Hamzah Sheeraz. They're willing to bet on themselves, and so far those bets are paying off.