Diego Pacheco defended his WBC USA and WBO International super middleweight titles against fellow unbeaten Steven Nelson at Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, taking a clear points win on Saturday.
Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) was last seen in August knocking out Macej Sulecki with body shots in six rounds, while Nelson (20-1, 16 KOs) was also out in the same month, halting Marcos Vazquez Rodriguez in five rounds in Los Angeles.
It was a cautious start by Pacheco, as he took time to study his rival, who had early success by coming forward and letting his hands go.
The fourth round saw Nelson sustain a cut from a swift Pacheco right hand, and that seemed to turn the tide in the 23-year-old’s favour.
Nelson’s vision was impaired, and that allowed Pacheco to land with some eye-catching counter shots and combinations, especially in round seven, and he slowly started to turn the screw as the fight went on.
The Omaha man was stunned in round ten, but showed bravery and heart to keep firing back, and he gave it his all until the final bell, where the result looked inevitable.
Pacheco retained his titles by three identical scores of 117-111 and closed in on a world title shot.
The Los Angeles man is the number one contender in the WBO to unified super middleweight champion, Canelo Alvarez.
Cruz dominates Salcido
Former amateur starlet, Andy Cruz retained his IBF International lightweight title for a third time with a points win against Omar Salcido Gamez (20-2).
Cruz (5-0, 2 KOs) was dominant, and took the win by two scores of 98-92, and a third at 99-91.
Mercado stops Pedraza
At super lightweight, Ernesto Mercado (17-0, 16 KOs) made a step-up in class, and scored a fourth round stoppage win against faded, former world champion Jose Pedraza.
An accumulation of punches had Pedraza (29-7-1, 14 KOs) on the deck, and he was unable to regain his legs sufficiently enough, with referee Robert Hoyle waving the bout off.
Ernesto Mercado STOPS Jose Pedraza 🤯#PachecoNelson | live now on DAZN pic.twitter.com/kmslWzLSKY
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) January 26, 2025
Rubalcava-Mercado held to draw
The sole eight rounder came at 140 pounds, where Leonardo Rubalcava (9-0-1, 3 KOs) and Israel Mercado fought to a majority draw.
Mercado (11-1-2, 7 KOs) was down in the first round, and was deducted a point in round seven for a low blow, but two scores of 75-75 ensured the bout was a stalemate.
A third judge scored it 76-74 in Mercado’s favour.
Remaining Undercard
In six rounders, Harley Mederos (8-0, 7 KOs) was a third round knockout winner against Arturo de Isla (5-3-1, 4 KOs) at lightweight, and Nishant Dev (1-0, 1 KO) debuted with a first round stoppage of Alton Wiggins (1-1-1) at super welterweight.
Great win for Nishant Dev on debut. This young man can change the sport forever in 🇮🇳 https://t.co/81xMRQN9VS
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) January 26, 2025
In the only four round contest on the bill, Zaquin Moses (2-0, 1 KO) forced Mario Garcia (3-1, 3 KOs) to retire after a round of their clash at super featherweight.
