LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Undefeated 23-year-old super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco turned back the challenge of Steven Nelson, scoring a twelve-round unanimous decision at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in the main event of a multi-continent DAZN broadcast on Saturday night.
Attempting to stamp his position as the next in line at 168-pounds, Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles, California opted to fight a previously undefeated fighter others have apparently avoided for good reason in Nelson (20-1, 16 KOs) of Omaha, Nebraska.
After a feeling out first round, Pacheco, 166.4, and Nelson, 168, opened up a bit more at the close of the second round. After Pacheco found a home for a few stiff jabs, Nelson landed clean just before the bell in retort.
Pacheco, the WBO #1/WBC #3/IBF #6 ranked contender, continued to rely on his jab in the third, but it was Nelson, the WBO #9 ranked super middleweight, who was busier and found a home for a couple power shots late in the stanza.
Just as Nelson was having a fairly successful fourth, outworking Pacheco, the pride of South Central Los Angeles timed the overhand right he had been looking to land and busted up the former Army veteran with his counter.
With the left side of his face turning into a crimson mask, Nelson was less apt to engage in the fifth. Pacheco began walking down the Nebraskan native, just missing the mark at times with potential night-enders.
Pacheco opened up more to close the fifth and kept up the output through the sixth and seventh, when the action really heated up. Pacheco still looked to time the perfect shot in the eighth, just missing the mark on a couple occasions.
After a tenth in which both combatants had their moments, Nelson came out with renewed vigor in the eleventh, landing clean with power punches with both hands. Even when Pacheco timed a couple well-placed uppercuts, Nelson was undeterred in his forward attack.
In the twelfth, Nelson maintained the pressure, snapping Pacheco’s head back on several occasions. Even when Pacheco landed, Nelson was hell-bent on maintaining his forward attack.
All three judges, Tim Cheatham, Max DeLuca and David Sutherland, scored the bout 117-111 for Pacheco, who holds onto his USWBC and WBO International super middleweight titles and place near the top of the rankings.
While he gave a great technical performance against a solid, previously undefeated fighter, Saturday’s win may not have been the type to create a public outcry for the money man in the division, Canelo Alvarez, to sign on for a bout with Pacheco just yet.
In the co-featured bout, lightweight contender Andy Cruz (5-0, 2 KOs) of Miami, Florida by way of Matanzas, Matanzas, Cuba passed the stiffest test of his pro career to date, pounding out a ten-round unanimous decision over a game Omar Salcido (20-2, 14 KOs) of Lakeside, California by way of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico.
Cruz, 134.8, had more gears and dimensions than did his Mexican counterpart, Salcido, 134.8. Cruz seemed content to utilize the boxing skills that made him one of the most decorated amateurs of recent years through the first nine rounds. The WBA #4/IBF#5/WBC #6/WBO #15 ranked lightweight Cruz attempted to close the show in style in the final round, but the WBA #12 ranked Salcido hung tough and held his own through the ten rounds.
In the end, Cruz outboxed Salcido by scores of 99-91 (judge Chris Migliore) and 98-92 (judges Dave Moretti and Zachary Young) twice, taking home two regional titles: the WBA Continental Latin Americas and IBF International lightweight belts.
Undefeated junior welterweight Ernesto Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) of Pomona, California stamped himself a contender with a fourth-round kayo over former world champion Jose Pedraza (29-7-2, 14 KOs) of Cidra, Puerto Rico.
Mercado, 142.4, was the naturally larger fighter in the bout and utilized that size advantage to great effect. In the end, it looked as though the knockout blow to Pedraza, 143, may have strayed to the back of the head. However, referee Robert Hoyle opted to count and then wave off the bout when Pedraza did not appear to be in any condition to continue. Official time of the stoppage was 2:08 of round four.
After the bout, the still unbeaten fighter called out Shakur Stevenson, “I want that punk right there,” said Mercado, pointing towards the three-division champion, who was less-than-thrilled to hear his name being called.
Leonardo Rubalcava (9-0-1, 3 KOs) of Jurupa Valley, California by way of Teocaltiche, Jalisco, Mexico narrowly escaped with his unbeaten record intact, fighting to an eight-round majority draw in his bout against a determined Israel Mercado (11-1-1, 7 KOs) of Montclair, California.
Mercado, 141, controlled almost all of the first, before Rubalcava, 141, landed one right that should have scored an official knockdown immediately. Referee Allen Huggins dusted the gloves of Mercado and let the action resume, but indicated before the start of round two, that Mercado was in fact down.
By the end of the fourth, Mercado was dictating the fight in extended moments, beating the young prospect to the punch.
However, Mercado was deducted a point late in round seven for a low blow, which would unfortunately play a key factor in the scoring.
After the knockdown and the point deduction, two judges (Chris Migliore and Dave Moretti) scored the bout a draw, 75-75. Judge Zachary Young had the dissenting card for the underdog, Mercado, 76-74.
In his professional debut, Nishant Dev (1-0, 1 KO) of Woodland, California by way of Karnal, India flashed his power in the lighter gloves, scoring a first-round round stoppage of Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) of Modesto, California.
Dev, 155.8, and Wiggins, 156.4, both fought out of the southpaw stance. However, Dev, who won bronze for India at the 2020 Olympic Games, had a clear edge in power and flurried Wiggins for the first of two knockdowns. The game Wiggins was able to continue briefly, but soon enough Dev scored a second knockdown, prompting referee Robert Hoyle to call for the end at 2:48 of round one.
Power-punching former amateur star Harley Mederos (8-0, 7 KOs) of Brooklyn, New York scored a third-round stoppage of Arturo de Isla (5-3-1, 4 KOs) of Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico
Mederos, 134.4, varied his attack from the opening bell and all de Isla, 135.6, could hope to do was to hang in there. The sound from Mederos’ punches alone were thudding and reverberating throughout the Chelsea.
Mederos broke through in the third, dropping Mederos hard with a right hand. Referee Raul Caiz Jr. immediately stopped the contest at 1:27 of the third round.
In the opening bout, 19-year-old wunderkind Zaquin Moses (2-0, 1 KO) of Newark, New Jersey was just getting warmed-up after one round of boxing when short-notice replacement Mario Garcia (3-1, 3 KOs) of Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico remained on his stool.
Moses, 130.4, began to open-up from his southpaw stance in the final moments. Garcia, 137.4, seemed fine going to his corner, but ultimately the fight ended after just minutes.
Photo by Melina Pizano/Matchroom
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortegajr.mario@gmail.com