Diego Pacheco vs Maciej Sulęcki Preview
One of the United States’ most exciting young boxers hopes to add another scalp this weekend. Diego Pacheco will fight Maciej Sulęcki In Carson, California. This will be a battle between an outstanding prodigy and a grizzled veteran.
Pacheco’s WBO International and WBC USA Super Middleweight titles are on the line. But he has his eyes on bigger goals. The key question is if he’s looking past Sulecki, which could end in disaster for Pacheco.
Sulecki would love to deliver an upset and catapult himself back into title contention. This is an exciting match-up because both men’s futures are at stake. We’re going to learn a lot about Pacheco on Saturday night.
Diego Pacheco vs Maciej Sulecki Key Stats and Head-to-Head
Pacheco is one of the most thrilling super-middleweights in the world right now. He has an undefeated record of 21-0 with 17 knockout wins. Despite this, the Los Angeles native has plenty to prove.
The 23-year-old is still learning his trade despite his impressive results, including a win over Marcelo Caceres. He trains with David Benavidez Sr. and has access to some of the best sparring partners on the planet.
He enters this bout after an awkward win over Shawn McCalman in Fontainebleau. McCalman made life difficult for Pacheco and forced the fight to go to a decision. This ended Pacheco’s five-fight KO streak and created some doubt about his abilities against tougher boxers.
Pacheco is desperate to prove that was a blip. He sees this match-up against Sulecki as a stay-busy fight and wants to move on to bigger things. But that’s dangerous because his opponent is no pushover.
🇬🇧 When Diego Pacheco came over to the UK and stopped Jack Cullen in 3 rounds in his first main event.
📈 Now the WBO #1, Pacheco is closing in on a title shot.
⏮️ He looks to continue his unbeaten run against Macej Sulecki in 1️⃣0️⃣ days time on DAZN.pic.twitter.com/PvUlUjKANp
— EverythingBoxing (@EverythingBoxi2) August 21, 2024
The Polish boxer is a former WBO super-middleweight title contender. His title shot defeat to Demetrius Andrade is one of just two on his record. The other loss was in 2018 against future champion Daniel Jacobs. He’s never suffered a knockout defeat and has 32 wins overall.
Sulęcki is riding a four-fight win streak since his title disappointment in 2019. He’s a dangerous and gritty opponent who Pacheco must take seriously. However, Pacheco should have a power advantage because Sulecki only has 12 wins by KO.
Both men fight out of an orthodox stance, but on paper, Pacheco has massive physical advantages. He is three inches taller than Sulęcki at 6’4” and has an incredible 11” reach advantage. However, this doesn’t guarantee success because sometimes taller fighters struggle to fight down against shorter opponents.
Diego Pacheco vs Maciej Sulęcki Predictions
Diego Pacheco enters this fight as a significant favourite and has youth on his side. That’s why our boxing prediction is for him to win this fight by knockout. The LA native should be able to finish Sulecki and stake his claim for a legitimate title shot.
Sulęcki is 35 and entering the twilight of his career. He’s enjoyed a valiant revival, but we believe this is where it will end. He only has three KO wins in his past 10 fights, so we don’t think he has the firepower to stop Pacheco’s momentum.
Pacheco is full of confidence that borders on arrogance. He believes this is his time. He also wants to make a statement after failing to set the world on fire against McCalman. The American knows that you’re only as good as your last fight.
He should be able to keep Sulecki at range with his jab. That massive reach advantage will be an enormous factor in this bout. He can pepper the Polish fighter from a distance before taking the chance to drop massive shots with his right hand.
Sulęcki’s best chance is to get inside and make this fight as ugly as possible. That won’t be easy because he’s going to open himself up to Pacheco’s power punches. He must pressure the younger man and unsettle him.
The big question is if he can do this. Sulecki is an excellent fighter, but there are levels in this game. We saw how Andrade made easy work of him in their 2019 title fight. He even suffered a knockdown but survived. Now he’s five years older against a hungry young contender.
Diego Pacheco with the nasty knockout 😳#RuizJoshua2 pic.twitter.com/qdEmXvQYnF
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) December 7, 2019
However, this is boxing, and miracles happen. Sulęcki will also feel confident because he’s on a winning streak. He knows he’s an underdog, so this takes the pressure off him and piles it on Pacheco’s shoulders.
Sulecki also has the extrinsic motivation of knowing this is his last chance. Pacheco can afford to lose a fight, even if it would drastically stall his momentum. But defeat for the Polish native finishes him as a legitimate contender. Every fight is a must-win for him because there’s no bouncing back.
Check the live betting markets during this fight. Pacheco may have a slow start as he makes his reads and analyses Sulecki’s style. ‘Striczu’ could steal a few early rounds and make betting on Pacheco more appealing.
Diego Pacheco vs Maciej Sulęcki Betting Tips
Pacheco acknowledges Sulecki may be the toughest test of his career. However, this doesn’t change the reality that he’s a massive favourite at our online sports betting site. It’s 1/16 for him to defeat his Polish opponent outright. A €10 bet would only make €0.63, so there’s no point making this wager.
That’s why betting on Pacheco to win by knockout or decision makes more sense. The 23-year-old has a superb finishing rate and is one of the most vicious fighters at super-middleweight. We think he could be the first boxer to KO Sulecki.
This would be an outstanding achievement because Sulęcki is tough. He’s hit the canvas before but never stayed down. However, Pacheco has the power to cause some serious damage in this match.
Pacheco can fight long and use his reach to his advantage. But he enjoys a firefight and is very dangerous on the inside, too. That’s why it’s so difficult to see a way for Sulecki to get his hand raised. Why not select the round Pacheco will finish the fight? This is another great boxing market and potentially the most lucrative if you’re backing him to win. We think he could finish the Pole in one of rounds six to eight.
It’s also worth checking over-under betting. You can choose the winner alongside the number of rounds to maximise your potential profit. We expect this fight to go past 6.5 rounds because Sulęcki has a firm chin. But a late finish is possible and this could be an entertaining bout.
Sulecki deserves respect because he’s had a distinguished career and is always in the mix. It wouldn’t be the biggest shock of all time if he derailed the hype train. He’s the type of test every young fighter needs to see if they’re ready for a title shot. We’re unsure if Pacheco’s focus is there because he’s constantly talking about Canelo Álvarez and Edgar Berlanga.
😤 "PACHECO HAS NEVER BEEN TESTED"
Macej Sulecki on fighting Diego Pacheco: "He hasn't been tested in big fights, big challenges. He's the guy who makes mistakes and we have to capitalize on those mistakes…He hasn't been in the ring with a fighter as experienced as me because… pic.twitter.com/zEmpbQJskY
— EverythingBoxing (@EverythingBoxi2) August 26, 2024
It’s 7/1 for the underdog to emerge victorious from this boxing match. This time, a €10 stake would see a massive €70 profit. The bookmakers have no belief in his ability to stun the world. But maybe they’re disrespecting the gritty Polish veteran.
Another boxing betting option is to make an accumulator. There’s an upcoming Irish interest with Naoya Inoue fighting former IBF super-bantamweight champion TJ Donehy in Tokyo. Speaking of shocks, it would be a massive upset if the 11/1 underdog beat the Monster.
Meanwhile, interim WBA super-lightweight champion Ismael Barroso hopes to defend his title against Andy Hiraoka. The Blade is a huge favourite to defeat his Venezuelan foe. New players can use our welcome bonus to make wagers without the risk!
Diego Pacheco vs Maciej Sulęcki Outcome
The stakes are high for Pacheco ahead of this clash with Sulęcki. His ideal outcome is facing the winner of Canelo Álvarez vs Edgar Berlanga. Those men will meet on September 14 in a unification bout. Berlanga’s team believes that victory over the Pole will be enough to get his first title shot.
However, this is a congested division with Christian Mbilli and William Scull also in contention. One of those men could fight the new champion with the two remaining names facing each other. Pacheco is also open to boxing Berlanga, even if he suffers defeat to Canelo.
Sulecki knows that he’s fighting for his future. There’s no room for slip-ups at his age. He’d love to force his way into the title conversation, too. The former WBO contender believes he has one last shot in him. But a defeat will end his meaningful competitive career.
