NEW YORK (April 29, 2019) Teenage phenom, Diego Pacheco made an emphatic American debut by stopping previously undefeated Guillermo Maldonado the opening frame of their scheduled four-round middleweight bout on Friday night at The Forum in Inglewood, California.
Pacheco, 18 years-old, fought in his hometown of Los Angeles, and he did not disappoint.
After landing several hard right hands that rocked the head of Maldonado, Pacheco landed a thunderous left hook that dropped Maldonado hard to the canvas. The bout was immediately waved off at 1:46.
Pacheco, 161.8 lbs is now 3-0 with two knockouts. Maldonado, 159 lbs of Seattle is 1-1.
Pacheco of Los Angeles was the number-one middleweight in both the United States and Mexico.
Pacheco, who is managed by Split-T Management and promoted by Matchroom Boxing, was a 2017 National Junior Golden Gloves champion, and the 2018 United States Junior Olympic National champion.