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Coach Jose Benavidez Sr. says his fighter Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) is not overlooking Steven Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) in their 12-round headliner this Saturday, January 25 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom in Las Vegas . The event will be shown live on DAZN.
(Credit: Matchroom Boxing)
Jose Sr. says they could have fought anyone, but they wanted Nelson, 36, who isn’t exactly young for a nine-year pro. He’s a late starter in the pro ranks due to his long amateur career, but he has the talent to potentially win this fight if he can get on the chin of the 23-year-old Pacheco. We saw that Diego had a few close calls.
On the undercard, lightweight contender Andy Cruz will take on Omar Salcido in a 10-round bout. Cruz wants to challenge WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson for his belt.
Without looking at Nelson
“They don’t want to face a fighter like Diego Pacheco. Canelo has everything to lose and nothing to gain,” said Jose Benavidez Sr Sean Zittel about Canelo Alvarez who will probably never agree to fight Diego Pacheco.
“That’s never going to happen because Canelo wants to fight the fighters that are coming your way. Fighters who didn’t look that impressive. Diego Pacheco has good direct shots. He’s young with good legs and strength,” Jose Sr. said.
“He is a good fighter. He is strong and relies on his power. That’s why we don’t underestimate Steven Nelson. We take him very seriously because he wants what Diego Pacheco wants. He wants to beat us to win the big fights. We want to beat him to get the big fights. It will be a lot of fun for me and the people.
“We were trying to make an eliminator with Christian Mbilli. We signed the paper and he said, ‘No, he wants another fight.’ We are ready. These are the struggles that will get us there. Dangerous fights to prove to people.
“We’re proving ourselves and focusing on Steven Nelson. He is a very dangerous fighter. After that we will look at our options. “We’re 100% sure about Steve Nelson right now,” Benavidez Sr. said.
