Timetable | 04:00 GMT - 1st September |
Prediction | Pacheco to win |
Odds | TBA |
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On Saturday, August 31st (or the early hours of September 1st if you’re based in the UK or Ireland), the highly anticipated boxing bout between Diego Pacheco and Maciej Sulecki will take place at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson. Headlining the latest Matchroom Boxing promotion, this contest will see the undefeated Pacheco look to further his burgeoning reputation in the super middleweight class, as he takes on a durable opponent who is 12 years his elder and has never been stopped. Sulecki has also fought 221 pro rounds (compared to just 86 for Pacheco), so his experience and ring craft cannot be denied. But which fighter will prevail in the Golden State?
💯 Pacheco vs Sulecki Odds Table
At the time of writing, Ireland’s best betting sites have yet to publish odds for the bout between Pacheco and Sulecki. However, the pre-fight prices that have been revealed elsewhere make Pacheco the odds-on betting favourite at around 1.08, implying a 92.59% probability of the 23-year-old American prevailing on home soil. Conversely, the seasoned Sulecki can be backed in the win market at an average price of 7.50, suggesting that he has just a 13.33% chance of emerging victorious. We’ll return to update the pre-bout odds just as soon as they’re confirmed!
Player | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Diego Pacheco | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
Maciej Suleck | TBC | TBC | TBC | TNC |
🏆 Pacheco vs Sulecki Prediction
Not only is this a battle of young vs old, but the bout between Diego Pacheco and Maciej Sulecki will also create a classic clash of styles in California. While Pacheco has proven himself as a heavy puncher and knockout artist, for example, Sulecki is an incredibly durable boxer who likes to throw a high volume of punches. He also boasts a consistent jab and is renowned for his high levels of accuracy.
The issue for the latter is that he isn’t the quickest, either in terms of his footwork or hand speed. So, he may prove vulnerable to Pacheco’s heavy handed counters at the Dignity Health Sports Park, especially if he begins to struggle with his opponents youth, vigour and undeniable power.
Then there’s the size differential. Sulecki is a natural middleweight who has performed best (and most frequently) in this weight class, and he measures a full three inches shorter than Pacheco. This also translates into an 11-inch reach advantage for the American, and it’s hard to imagine Sulecki negating this or creating a viable strategy to bridge the gap given his inherent lack of speed.
It's interesting to note that both fighters tend to adopt an orthodox stance, creating a scenario where it’s easier for them to cover up and set the tone for a defensive bout. This would arguably suit Sulecki, so the challenge for Pacheco will be to find his rhythm earlier than he did against McCalman and force the pace from the outset.
Ultimately, Pacheco may simply be too big and powerful in this bout, even for a fighter with the experience and durability of Sulecki. The former’s reach and size advantage could also be telling here, and while I expect the fight to ultimately go the distance, Pacheco should have enough to win via a unanimous decision.
My Prediction: 🏆 Diego Pacheco to win
⚡Diego Pacheco Form
The 23-year-old Pacheco is considered to be one of boxing’s brightest young stars, having made his debut on December 22nd, 2018. Since then, he has amassed a perfect record of 21-0, knocking out 17 of his opponents to achieve an impressive KO percentage of 80.95%.
Now in possession of the WBC USA and WBO International super middleweight titles, Pacheco is ranked number one by the WBO and number four in the weight class according to Ring Magazine. So, he’s undoubtedly closing on a world title shot, with Canelo Alvarez and interim WBC champ David Benavidez all potentially in his sights.
While Sulecki will serve as a durable and accomplished obstacle in his path, it should be noted that Pacheco has youth on his side and a marked size advantage. Not only is he 12-years younger than his opponent, for example, but he’s also three inches taller and boasts a reach advantage of around 11 inches.
So, he should be able to create enough distance to offset Sulecki’s efficient jab, which is also something Pacheco had to do when being taken the full 10-round distance by the tricky Shawn McCalman last time out. This marked just the second time that a Pacheco bout has extended beyond the eighth round, after he knocked out Marcelo Coceres in nine rounds on November 18th, 2023.
Interestingly, the bout against Coceres was the first in which Pacheco was scheduled to fight 12 rounds. His clash against Sulecki will be the second, so Pacheco remains extremely inexperienced at this level and will have to answer questions about his stamina. He also struggled for rhythm and fluidity in the early rounds against McCalman, and Suleck may look to exploit this with a rapid and high octane start.
⭐ Maciej Sulecki Form
As I’ve touched on, Sulecki has fought 221 pro rounds during his career, which is a staggering 135 more than his younger opponent. He has contested 34 bouts since his debut in June 2010, winning 32 of these (94.11%) and losing just twice. His two defeats have also come by way of unanimous decision, so he has never been stopped in his professional career.
So, Sulecki will be confident of withstanding the powerful and heavy-handed Pacheco, especially given his own solid boxing fundamentals and aforementioned jab. However, he has only stopped 12 of his opponents in total, and a knockout rate of just 37.5% means that he’s also unlikely to secure a KO or TKO in Carson.
Unlike Pacheco, Sulecki has actually fought previously at world level, dropping a unanimous decision to the outstanding Demetrius Andrade on June 29th, 2019 while attempting to win the WBO Middleweight title. Interestingly, he had previously been defeated by the similarly talented Daniel Jacobs in the same weight class, dropping another judges’ decision after being dropped heavily in the 12th and final round.
While there may be doubts about Sulecki’s ability to cut it at world level, however, he has an incredible wealth of experience and has proven himself to be a durable and well-rounded contender. He’s also on a run of four successive victories since his title defeat to Andrade, even producing a decisive KO of Angel Hernandez at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona last summer.
💥 Pacheco vs Sulecki: The Long Road to the Match
Sulecki’s winning streak has once again put him on the cusp of a world title tilt, which is quite impressive given his advancing years and the fact that he’s a relatively small super middleweight. In fact, he appears to have moved up in weight class simply because he was struggling to make the 160lb limit, so he may lack the power to make his mark against Pacheco.
Even the Pole’s recent run of victories has featured some unconvincing performances. Certainly, he toiled against Rowdy Legend Montgomery at the Melrose Ballroom in Queens last time out, despite his opponent having now lost six of his 18 career fights to date. Although he secured a unanimous decision over 10 rounds, he won by three points on two judges’ scorecards and just one on the third.
Of course, Pacheco was also made to work hard in his last bout, with the elusive and determined McCalman making him miss regularly in Las Vegas. McCalman also caught Pacheco several times early on, including one particularly stinging left hook in the second round. Still, Pacheco showed his resilience and picked up the pace during the last six rounds, forcing his opponent to hold excessively while landing powerful combinations.
This will have been an important learning curve for Pacheco, especially as he looks to move up in class and take on more durable opponents. He also showcased his superb punch power when knocking out Marcelo Coceres at the YouTube Theater last November, while he managed to stop the tricky Brit Jack Cullen in just four rounds at the Liverpool Arena in March 2023.
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