Trainer Jose Benavidez Sr. says his fighter Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) is not ignoring Steven Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) in his 12-round headliner on Saturday, January 25 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Arena in Las Vegas. The event will be shown live on DAZN.
(Credit: Match Room Boxing)
Jose Sr. says they could have fought anyone, but they wanted Nelson, 36, who is not exactly young for a nine-year-old pro. He's gotten a late start in the pro ranks due to his long amateur career, but he has the talent to win this fight if he can get to the 23-year-old Pacheco's chin. We've seen Diego have a few close calls.
On the undercard, lightweight contender Andy Cruz will face Omar Salcedo in a 10-round fight. Cruz is looking to challenge WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson for his belt.
Don't overlook Nelson
“They don’t want to face a fighter like Diego Pacheco. Canelo has everything to lose and nothing to gain,” Jose Benavidez Sr. said. Shawn Zettel Canelo Alvarez is unlikely to agree to fight Diego Pacheco.
“It's never going to happen because Canelo wants to fight fighters that come to you. Fighters who haven't looked that impressive. Diego Pacheco has good straight punches. He's a young man with good legs and strength,” Jose Sr. said.
“He's a good fighter. He's strong and relies on his strength. That's why we don't underestimate Steven Nelson. We take him seriously because he wants the same thing that Diego Pacheco wants. He wants to beat us to get the big fights. We want to beat him to get the big fights.” It will be a lot of fun for me and for people.
“We were trying to do an elimination with Christian Mbele. We signed the paper, and he said: ‘No, he wants to have another fight.’ We are ready. These are the fights that will get us there. Dangerous fights to prove to the people.
“We are proving ourselves and focusing on Steven Nelson. He is a very dangerous fighter and after that, we will consider our options. Right now, we are 100% committed to Steve Nelson,” said Benavidez Sr.
