Fight Recap: Diego Pacheco Stops Sulecki In War Grounds Style

Diego Pacheco of Los Angeles (22-0, 18 KOs) got his knockout streak restarted in fitting War Grounds style at the Carson, California venue known for its action fights on Saturday night.

WBC USA and WBO International Super Middleweight champion Pacheco delivered a perfect Mexican left hook to the liver of sturdy veteran Maciej Sulecki of Poland in the main event at the Dignity Health Sports Park in front of his devoted hometown fans.

Sulecki (32-3, 12 KOs) dropped immediately to the canvas and rolled toward the ropes, grimacing as referee Ray Corona counted him out for the first knockout loss in his career at 54 seconds of the sixth round.

Diego Pacheco said when he saw Maciej Sulecki rolling on the canvas, the fight was over. Photo: Michael Owens, Matchroom Boxing

Viewing the knockout ringside, it was obvious Sulecki wasn't getting up. Pacheco claimed he was a little surprised. “Honestly, I didn’t even land it that hard, so I didn’t think it was going to be over. But when I saw him fall, I knew it was over,” said Pacheco after his victory.

As he held his six-month-old daughter Divine in his arms, Pacheco said he was looking for his opportunity to hit Sulecki to the body, but tried not to let Sulecki catch on. “When I did, he didn't expect it. The body shot, and that's all she wrote.”

“He ain't ran into nobody like me before,” said Pacheco.

Diego Pacheco used his reach advantage to get a feel for Maciel Sulecki in the first three rounds, then unleased his offense. Photo: Michael Owens, Matchroom Boxing

Pacheco invested in several rounds of fighting at range and getting into a groove before unleashing a serious offensive effort. Sulecki is a smart veteran, and Pacheco knew it wasn’t in his best interests to bum-rush him. After the fight, trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. said the plan was exactly this: Pacheco taking his time to close the distance.

“Early in the rounds it was a little hard for me to go to the body. He’s a great fighter. He was taking it away from me,” said Pacheco. “I told you guys I was going to deliver that knockout. Here it is, I hope you guys enjoyed it.”

Once Pacheco settled in, he was relentless. He landed 49% of his power punches overall, but the majority were landed in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds. After landing single-digit totals of power punches in the first three rounds, Pacheco landed 10 in the fourth round, 19 in the fifth round, and just one in the sixth round, the one that counted.

CompuBox statistics for the Pacheco vs Sulecki fight on August 31, 2024.

This is a dream come true for me. When I was a little kid, this is what I dreamed of,” said Pacheco, thanking the Los Angeles fans and adding, “Team Pacheco is here to stay.”

Future For Diego Pacheco: Munguia, Then Canelo?

Diego Pacheco and Eddie Hearn have their sights set on Jaime Munguia if he wins his upcoming fight with Eric Bazinyan. Photo: Michael Owens, Matchroom Boxing

Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn called it a coming of age performance.

“Los Angeles is behind him. A world title shot is coming very soon. By the time a mandatory shot comes around, Diego Pacheco is going to be the mandatory of Canelo Alvarez,” said Hearn.

Pacheco said can handle anyone in the top ten. “I never say no to any opponent. Whoever Eddie lines up next, I'll be ready.”

Hearn plans to lay the groundwork before making big moves. In the ring after the bout and again when speaking to the boxing media, Hearn and Pacheco are both eager to set up a fight against Jaime Munguia in Los Angeles.

“I just feel that Jaime Munguia against Diego sells out the Crypto Arena,” said Hearn. “I think it's a brilliant, brilliant fight as well. Tough fight, tough fight, for sure. But I think star-wise, what a great fight for those two.” Hearn emphasized that what Matchroom does to develop Pacheco's full potential “is really important, and it's more for his development to make sure that he's ready.”

Sweet American Debut For Sugar’ Núñez

Eduardo “Sugar” Núñez stopped Miguel Marriaga in his American debut at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

Super featherweight knockout artist Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Núñez of Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico (28-1, 28 KOs) lived up to his reputation, scoring an eighth-round knockout win against former title challenger Miguel Marriaga of Colombia (31-8, 26 KOs).

Hardcore fans had heard much about Núñez, and he didn’t disappoint in his first U.S. appearance. Although the fight was a little slow to get moving, it kicked into gear by the third round in a War Grounds-style Carson classic. Núñez does his business with determination, snap, and speed on his punches. His body shots landing on Marriaga could be heard in the upper rows of Dignity Health Sports Park.

Miguel Marriaga nearly fell out of the ring in the fourth round after a hard right hook by Eduardo “Sugar” Núñez. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

Núñez scored his first knockdown near the end of the fourth round, nearly sending Marriaga through the ropes into the media section from a hard right hook. Marriaga beat the count and survived a barrage of hooks and body shots to the end of the round.

Credit Marriaga for hanging in tough against Núñez and firing back with enough sting on Núñez to make it a wildly entertaining fight, even though it was clear Núñez had the upper hand.

In the eighth round, Núñez caught Marriaga again with a right hook, and he dropped to a knee. It didn’t seem he would get up, but Marriaga willed himself to his feet and heard the bell at the end of the round. His corner wisely jumped in to let referee Jerry Cantu know their fighter was done for the night.

Sugar Núñez is a mean bastard, and Miguel Marriaga is a tough bastard, which made for a Carson Classic.

Cardenas Remains Undefeated Against Arechiga

Arturo Cardenas Rodriguez got a decision win in an action-packed fight with Jesus Arechiga. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

Arturo Cardenas of Michoacan, Mexico (15-0-1, 8 KOs) successfully defended his Continental Americas Super Bantamweight title against Jesus Arechiga of Mazatlan (21-2, 15 KOs) in a crowd-pleasing action fight.

Scores were 98-92 and 96-94 for Cardenas and 96-94 for Arechiga, who put up a solid effort. Cardenas is trained by Robert Garcia, who’s having a great 2024.

Clarke Grinds Out Win Over Apochi

Cheavon Clarke got the decision over Efetobor Apochi in his U.S. debut at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

British cruiserweight prospect Cheavon Clarke (10-0, 7 KOs) got a tough fight out of opponent Efe Apochi of Nigeria (12-3, 12 KOs). Clarke and Apochi ground out ten rounds, with Clarke getting the majority decision. Scores were 98-92, 97-93, and 95-95.

Clarke retains his IBF International and WBA Intercontinental Cruiserweight titles in his first pro fight in the United States.

Clarke had good moments later in the fight, rocking Apochi in the eighth round and doing his best to finish the fight with uppercuts and body shots. Clarke ran out of steam, and Apochi recovered. He stood in front of Clarke and said, “Is that all you’ve got?”

It was the most entertaining moment of a fight that didn’t catch fire as Clarke has done at home in the UK. Perhaps it was the outdoor venue, the warm day, or the travel. But he’ll go home with a win.

And The New: Ginny Fuchs Wins First Pro Title

Ginny Fuchs won her first pro title with a victory over Adelaida Ruiz. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

In just her fourth fight as a professional, Ginny Fuchs of Houston, Texas (4-0, 1 KO) won a split decision over Adelaida Ruiz of Los Angeles (16-1-1, 8 KOs), becoming the new WBC Interim World Super Flyweight champion. In an even matchup, the scores were 100-90 and 97-93 for Fuchs and 97-93 for Ruiz.

On hearing “And The New!” from ring announcer David Diamante, Fuchs jumped straight up into the air.

The victory became even more impressive as Fuchs displayed a compound fracture to her right thumb after the fight. Fuchs shrugged off the gruesome-looking injury, saying she didn’t think she was that badly injured until after the fight.

“I felt it the first round, I think it was a hook. I just thought it jammed,” said Fuchs.

Fuchs called Ruiz her toughest opponent to date. “I thought I got more cleaner shots … I still felt like I was more aggressive one, I was the more busy one, and me and my team were like, ‘We got this, we got this!’ When I heard that last scorecard, the new, I was like, I did it,” said Fuchs.

Ginny Fuchs reacts to hearing “And The New” after her fight with Adelaida Ruiz. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

Fuchs is not signed with a promoter and has struggled to get fights. To stay busy, she participated in Total Combat League team fights.

“That’s a little frustrating. I thought I would with my background (as a U.S. Olympian), so I’ve just been waiting for this moment, not giving up, when a lot of times I was like, man, maybe I'll just buy a ship and sell equipment and live like a real pirate. I never gave up on the opportunity, and it was gonna come,” thanking Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn for the opportunity.

Now holding one of the division’s titles, Fuchs will have a chance for a potential unification fight. “Whoever else holds the belts, I’m coming for them,” said Fuchs. They are WBC champion Asley Gonzalez Macias of Mexico, IBF champion Irma Garcia of Mexico, and WBO Mizuki Hiruta of Japan.

Undercard Results Before the Bell

Alejandro Frias celebrates his upset win. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

In an upset, Alejandro Frias Rodriguez of Nayarit, Mexico (16-10-2, 7 KOs) hung the first loss on Fabian Rojo of Phoenix (9-1, 7 KOs). Rodriguez scored two knockdowns against Rojo and won by decision with three scores of 58-54. Rodriguez yelled hearing the decision as if he’d just unified the entire welterweight division, and who doesn’t love that kind of enthusiasm when the opponent wins?

Criztec Bazaldua won a decision in six rounds over Kyle Erwin. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

Criztec Bazaldua of Los Angeles (6-0, 1 KO) won his super lightweight fight against Kyle Erwin of Oceanside, California (7-3, 3 KOs) in a shutout over six rounds, 60-53 on all three cards.

Bantamweight Alex Gueche of Long Beach, California, maintained his perfect record. Photo: Melina Pizano, Matchroom.

Bantamweight Alex Gueche of Long Beach, California (6-0, 6 KOs) maintained his perfect record, scoring a knockdown on the way to a decision over David Vargas of Durango, Mexico (8-5-2, 5 KOs). Scores were all 60-53.