Much on the line in Pacheco-Nelson affair

LAS VEGAS – The good stuff happens during the improvisation.

And these were not prepared remarks Thursday when unbeaten super-middleweights Steven Nelson and Diego Pacheco went back and forth discussing the consequences of their Saturday night bout here at The Cosmopolitan.

For South-Central Los Angeles’ Pacheco, 23, his bid for a 23-0 start to entrench his position as the No. 1-rated contender to three-belt champion Canelo Alvarez is momentous given his position as an heir apparent.

“I’ve known for a while that Diego is ready to take over at 168,” Pacheco trainer Jose Benavidez Snr said. “Saturday, everyone watching will see the new face of boxing.”

To hear Nelson tell it, that’s nothing compared with what this fight of a lifetime means to him.

“I’ve never been this determined for nothing in my life,” Nelson said, shedding his sunglasses so those assembled could peer into the sincerity of his message.

“Look, let’s weigh this out: [Pacheco’s] 23, from California, Mexican, signed with Matchroom [Promotions]. He takes the loss? He can bounce back. I’m 36, from Omaha, Nebraska. Been through hell to get here, not just in boxing. Military. Streets. Been shot. Been blown up. Everything. Injuries. All of that.

“I can’t afford to lose. I’m not losing. I’m not backing down. This is life changing for me. It’s hard out here.”

Pacheco absorbed the impassioned message and said he acknowledges Nelson as a serious threat, explaining that’s what he wants at this point of his career, following his destructive body-shot knockout of another veteran, former middleweight title contender Maciej Sulecki, in August atop another DAZN card. 

“We’re looking at way bigger fights than this and they’re going to happen because these guys know what I bring to the ring,” Pacheco said. “I’m from the trenches, too. I come from the ‘hood’ hood.”

Nelson said he wasn’t trying to compare who resided in the toughest neighborhood as much as he was pointing out “what I’ve been through.

“No man’s going to stand in front of me and tell me that they’re going to take something I want from me. I’ve been through it all.”

Said Pacheco: “Nobody’s going to stand in front of me and tell me they’re going to take something from me in a fight.”

Nelson 20-0 (16 KOs) responded, “This isn’t personal. It’s not business. It’s destiny. It’s God’s plan.”

The rugged veteran has embraced this opportunity to upset a fighter who stands six inches taller, possesses a reach 3 ½ longer and is 13 years younger.

“[Nelson] worked his ass off to get to this point,” trainer McIntyre said. “Now that he’s here, he feels people are overlooking him, like he doesn’t have a chance … man, he’s ready.”

McIntyre believes Nelson can ride the emotion of this last stand to victory. “Definitely, that can happen. I’m excited for him, so proud of him,” McIntyre said.

Still, how does Nelson deal with Pacheco, who’s so much taller, longer and younger.

“Just don’t let him get comfortable,” McIntyre said.

After the session, Pacheco elaborated to BoxingScene on what he made of the back and forth.

“These are two hungry fighters who come from rough backgrounds,” he said, believing that defeating Crawford’s stablemate and a McIntyre-trained product will boost his credibility.

“I make fights look easy and I think that’s why a lot of people think I haven’t been tested, but that’s because my skills are on another level. I take nothing from Steven Nelson, but I hope he’s ready to go because I’m in the best shape of my life.”

Pacheco said he foresees a convincing victory, a statement win.

“My jab is my best weapon and you guys will see it – my jab comes behind everything else and I have the IQ to put my shots together, counter-punch and do it all in the ring,” Pacheco said. “It’s the D.P. era.”

The card also includes a lightweight bout between two-time Olympic champion Andy Cruz 4-0 (2 KOs) and Omar Salcido 20-1 (14 KOs) and a 140lbs fight pitting Ernesto Mercado 16-0 (15 KOs) versus Puerto Rico’s former two-division world champion Jose Pedraza 29-6-1 (14 KOs).

Cruz is on the fast track to a title shot as the No. 4 (WBA), No. 5 (IBF) and No. 6 (WBC) contender. WBO title challenger Keyshawn Davis is expected to attend Saturday’s card along with WBC champion Shakur Stevenson.

“I’m completely ready to put on a good show,” Cruz said. “Everyone’s a good swimmer when they’re not in the water. I like to do my talking in the ring.”

Salcido credited his camp with Benavidez Snr and working alongside Pacheco and WBC light-heavyweight interim champion David Benavidez for elevating his confidence.

Salcido promoter Paco Damian said he’s intrigued to see how Salcido’s development in dealing with evasive boxers has progressed following his difficulties in a 2023 ProBox TV loss to Jose Nunez, when he responded to the frustration by resorting to chasing a knockout. Since, Damian said, Salcido has rectified the deficiency.

“He’s improved immeasurably … I’ve seen huge improvement. That will help him a lot versus Andy Cruz. Does he have a chance? Yes,” Damian said. “He’s super motivated. He can punch with both hands. He sees Benavidez. He sees Pacheco. Now, he believes he can be like that. It rubs off. A difficult fight, but I give him a chance.”

Mercado, meanwhile, spoke of stopping Pedraza and putting himself in position for a date with Davis or Stevenson, stirring things up with McIntyre’s group.

Pedraza, 35, tried to calm his 23-year-old opponent by saying, “It might be a step-up for [him], but it’s not for me. My goal is to be a three-time champion.”

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.