Diego Pacheco wanted Edgar Berlanga next, aims for Canelo-Berlanga winner

Diego Pacheco is a promotional teammate of super middleweight Edgar Berlanga – but it is Berlanga who will get the next crack at Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the lineal 168-pound champ and former undisputed king who still owns three of the four major world titles.

Canelo vs. Berlanga will headline a Sept. 14 pay-per-view at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas available via Amazon’s Prime Video, DAZN and PPV.com, while Pacheco will face Maciej Sulecki in the main event of an Aug. 31 show on DAZN at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

“I feel like I should’ve had that fight with Berlanga and then the winner could get Canelo or something like that. I feel like that would’ve been fair,” Pacheco recently told Flash Knockdown, a podcast from Pacheco’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing.

But the 23-year-old Pacheco is fine with Berlanga, who is older than him, getting this opportunity.

“Berlanga is already, like, 30 years old [Note: Berlanga is 27]. And we’re basically like at the same level, and there’s a big difference in years, so it’s OK for him to get that fight,” Pacheco said. “I guess the time is now for him. He’s in his prime. I hope he takes full advantage of it. I hope he makes the best of it. And yeah, I want the winner.”

That winner, according to Pacheco, will be the 34-year-old superstar from Guadalajara.

“I think Canelo will stop him,” Pacheco said. “I think Berlanga will maybe do better the first three rounds. I feel like once Canelo has found his rhythm and has found Berlanga’s timing, he’ll get him out of there.”

Meanwhile, Pacheco (21-0, 17 KOs) is focused on the bout with Sulecki (32-2, 12 KOs).

“He’s a good fighter. We actually had a few opponents on the list before him and the fight didn’t go through,” Pacheco said. “My team felt like Sulecki was just a good opponent. He’s been in a lot of tough fights. He’s been in a lot of world championship fights. He’s beat guys like Rosado and a few other names. His only two losses are to world-class fighters like Andrade and Jacobs. He’s a tough veteran. I saw he was sparring with Canelo not too long ago. It’s going to be a good fight, and that’s what I’ve been training for. I’ve been training my ass off for a 12-round war. Hopefully he brings that.”

Sulecki defeated Gabriel Rosado by unanimous decision in 2019 in a fight where both men hit the canvas twice. He lost to Daniel Jacobs by unanimous decision in 2018 and to Demetrius Andrade – in Sulecki’s lone try at a major world title – via shutout in 2019. 

Sulecki stepped away after a victory toward the end of 2021 and returned in June 2023 as a super middleweight. He’s picked up a pair of wins since, including a May decision over the 11-5-1 Rowdy Legend Montgomery.

Pacheco is hoping to retain his top rating with the WBO, which keeps him in line for a potential shot at the Canelo-Berlanga winner.

“With the ratings coming out and me being the No. 1 contender for Canelo, I feel like a lot of eyes will be on me,” he said.

Follow David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.