Speaker 1: Well, it's my great pleasure to welcome to our podcast
Speaker 1: this week. It is the outstanding up and coming super midleweight.
Speaker 1: Some might call them still the prospects, some might say
Speaker 1: a contender. I think more on the contender side. We'll
Speaker 1: get into that, diego, But welcome to the show. You
Speaker 1: you are on because you have the main event coming
Speaker 1: up Saturday on the Zone on the Matchro Boxing card.
Speaker 1: You'll be taking on the battle tested Messi Celeski in
Speaker 1: a twelve round super middleweight fight. You'll be at home
Speaker 1: in the Los Angeles area at the Dignity Health Dignity
Speaker 1: Sports Health Park, and you're the main event, like I said,
Speaker 1: and uh, you know, I'm happy to have you on here.
Speaker 1: And first of all, it's you know, for you, it's
Speaker 1: going to be another hometown fight. Your your second headliner
Speaker 1: fight in the LA area in your past three fights,
Speaker 1: after a lot of moving around. Can you just tell
Speaker 1: me a little bit about the excitement level you have
Speaker 1: of fighting in a place like the Dignity Health Park,
Speaker 1: which is seen just so many great fights over the years,
Speaker 1: and now you're the next in line to be in
Speaker 1: the main event there.
Speaker 2: Ah yeah, man, it's a great I'm excited, very motivated.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: I put the work in, like like I was saying earlier.
Speaker 2: You know, I remember going to Dignity House Sports Park
Speaker 2: at the Times stub Hub as a kid, you know,
Speaker 2: to go see a lot of amazing fights, you know.
Speaker 2: So I have a lot of memories there with my
Speaker 2: dad and my brothers, with friends who you know, we
Speaker 2: all go up there to watch them great fights. And
Speaker 2: I'm excited now that it's my turn, you know. And
Speaker 2: now I'm the guy headlining there. I'm the guy who's
Speaker 2: who's has all the lights under him, and I'm.
Speaker 3: Just ready to go. Man.
Speaker 2: I feel like this is where I belong and I'll
Speaker 2: just keep showing the world why I belong here.
Speaker 1: So at the end of twenty twenty three, I picked
Speaker 1: you for my platform, my publication Fight Freaks Unite as
Speaker 1: the Prospect of the ear And I've been picking prospects
Speaker 1: diego for a very long time, almost twenty five years
Speaker 1: at ESPN at USA today and you follow in a
Speaker 1: long line of fighters that have gone on that I picked.
Speaker 1: Some that didn't amount to anything, and you know, we
Speaker 1: don't get them all right, but so that a lot
Speaker 1: of them that won world championships, and some guys were
Speaker 1: even in the Hall of Fame. I pick guys like
Speaker 1: Canelo Alvarez and Lomachenko and Miguel Coto, et cetera. And
Speaker 1: now you're next up. So I just wonder, how do
Speaker 1: you feel thus far about your development? You're only twenty
Speaker 1: three years old. So far everything has gone beautifully, it
Speaker 1: seems to me, and you're really on your way. But
Speaker 1: in terms of when you sit down and assess where
Speaker 1: you're at, what you have in front of you, where
Speaker 1: do you think things are right now in terms of
Speaker 1: the development that you've been along with matrimon, I feel.
Speaker 3: Very good about the way my career has.
Speaker 2: Been going, you know, with the team that I have,
Speaker 2: with the training team, with the management team, with the
Speaker 2: promotion of the company that I have behind me. It's
Speaker 2: just it's just I'm just grateful, you know. I'm mattrely.
Speaker 2: My fil has done an amazing job and taking my
Speaker 2: career from pro debut to now twenty one and no
Speaker 2: headlining shows in different stays, different countries, and now I'm
Speaker 2: planning in my backyard of la and in an amazing,
Speaker 2: amazing arena as the war Grounds in Carson California, and
Speaker 2: I fought there once before opening up the show. So
Speaker 2: now I'm back headlining and it's amazing, man, you know,
Speaker 2: it's it's a dream country for me to headline in
Speaker 2: my hometown and be able to put young fighters on
Speaker 2: the undercard and and help them make a name for themselves.
Speaker 3: It's just a good feeling, you know.
Speaker 2: I'm I'm extremely happy with the work I've been putting
Speaker 2: in this camp, extremely happy with with the development, the results,
Speaker 2: the everything that I've been putting in to this boxing career.
Speaker 3: And I'm just excited. Man.
Speaker 2: Next next Saturday, We're going for twenty two and zero
Speaker 2: against a tough heart opponent. But I will show the
Speaker 2: world while I belong here and while I'm the next
Speaker 2: guy at the one sixty eight.
Speaker 1: So you mentioned at the training team by your training camp,
Speaker 1: you are trained by Jose Benavide Senior. He of course
Speaker 1: is the father of Jose Junior and David Benavide's. David,
Speaker 1: of course, one of the head for the last number
Speaker 1: of years, one of the best super middleweights in the
Speaker 1: world and has just stepped up to the light heavyweight
Speaker 1: division in his last fight, and he has been a
Speaker 1: multi time world champion. So I have to think that
Speaker 1: when you train with somebody like David, who's you know,
Speaker 1: a little older than you, a little bit more experienced
Speaker 1: than you, that that's just got to be amazing experience.
Speaker 1: I mean not only working with his dad in terms of,
Speaker 1: you know, a good trainer obviously, but how much have
Speaker 1: you learned just in the experience of being around a
Speaker 1: top contender and a championship level fighter like David. I know,
Speaker 1: you guys asparred together. What's that? How how has that
Speaker 1: helped your development?
Speaker 3: Man? It's helped me a lot.
Speaker 2: You know, me and David have done on thousands and
Speaker 2: thousands of rounds of spying together in the past five years.
Speaker 2: And David is one of those guys that if you're
Speaker 2: around him, man, he just wants to make you better.
Speaker 2: He wants to he wants to see you reach your
Speaker 2: full potential.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 2: And I've seen that with the way he obviously with me,
Speaker 2: the way he tries to correct certain things for me,
Speaker 2: or he tries to tell me, like things that things
Speaker 2: will work for me.
Speaker 3: Because of my my style, my my range.
Speaker 2: You know, obviously we have different styles, but but we're
Speaker 2: both good at what we do and and he's He's
Speaker 2: told you. He would tell me all the time. Man,
Speaker 2: He's like, man, you're one of the best boxes.
Speaker 3: I was barred with you. You know, you have great skills.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 2: I help him get ready for that Caleb Plan fight
Speaker 2: and and he did amazing. So so yeah, man, David's
Speaker 2: really a great guy to have to be around him,
Speaker 2: especially if you're you're trained to fight for these big
Speaker 2: fights men. And Senior obviously been to Vida's, has been
Speaker 2: in the corner of a lot of world championship fights,
Speaker 2: and uh he's got that experience, and it gives me
Speaker 2: that confidence.
Speaker 3: Man, when I have him in my corner.
Speaker 1: I was saying, I take it. We're never going to
Speaker 1: see David Benavitie's against uh Diego Pacheco in a boxer ink, right, I.
Speaker 2: Mean, who knows, you know, because obviously I'm a big
Speaker 2: guy as well, and eventually I'll be moving.
Speaker 3: Up to one seventy five.
Speaker 2: And if we're both champions and and to fight that
Speaker 2: the people want to see, just the way that people
Speaker 2: want to see Canelo and vidas you know, and and
Speaker 2: and we're two guys that we're up for it, you
Speaker 2: know what I mean, We're we're in this. We're in
Speaker 2: this to make the best to day, you know what
Speaker 2: I mean, and make the biggest fight it's possible.
Speaker 3: You know, I'm only twenty three years old, but.
Speaker 2: I if I had it my way, you know, I'm
Speaker 2: ready for a tit up shot now.
Speaker 1: So yeah, no, you're not that far away. It's just
Speaker 1: it's a it's a division where it's hard to get
Speaker 1: title fights because Canelo holds three of the belts and
Speaker 1: the other belt is vacant but has a fight that's
Speaker 1: on the table in terms of your activity level. One
Speaker 1: thing that struck me is interesting about the way your
Speaker 1: your career has unfolded for a young fighter you mentioned
Speaker 1: just twenty three years old. A lot of guys they
Speaker 1: don't they don't like to or they don't ever travel
Speaker 1: out of their comfort zone at a young age. And
Speaker 1: in the early part of your career, you've already fought
Speaker 1: in a whole bunch of different paces around the United States,
Speaker 1: but you've also fought more notably three different countries besides
Speaker 1: the United States. You've fought in Mexico, Saudi Arabia, England.
Speaker 3: Uh.
Speaker 1: How has that been a lot of guys, like I said,
Speaker 1: they don't do that. I mean you seem to embrace
Speaker 1: that and shine on the road. You know in England,
Speaker 1: for example, you fought the British fighter in his home
Speaker 1: area and you're just sort of getting used to that
Speaker 1: for down the road. I mean, how, how, why why
Speaker 1: have you been able to do that and adjust to
Speaker 1: that so well at a young age.
Speaker 2: I feel like it just comes from my amateur background,
Speaker 2: you know, I'll always would travel to the tournaments and
Speaker 2: and uh as an amateur, I fought and hungry and
Speaker 2: hungry Budapest, you know, I fought in in a.
Speaker 3: Lot of different places, you know.
Speaker 2: So I've always said, you know, I'm with my skills
Speaker 2: and the work I put in and in the way
Speaker 2: I'm able to stay focused and and and stay ten
Speaker 2: toes down and just put me in a boxing ring
Speaker 2: it no.
Speaker 1: Matter where it's have gloves will travel.
Speaker 2: Right exactly do what I do and then and that
Speaker 2: that's just what it is.
Speaker 3: You know. I feel like no matter like.
Speaker 2: This, you know, And I got to think match Match
Speaker 2: is in an amazing job and getting me on all
Speaker 2: these big shows and getting me the right experience, disabiliting
Speaker 2: me to be ready when I get these world title shots.
Speaker 1: So you mentioned about how you've traveled around your opponent Celeski.
Speaker 1: He's from Poland and he's traveled a number of times
Speaker 1: fought in the United States. Now he's coming to your
Speaker 1: home area. And when I look at your your your
Speaker 1: list of fights you have fought, like for example Cosaras,
Speaker 1: who fought for a world title, But it seems to
Speaker 1: me that Celeski is by far and away your biggest
Speaker 1: step and step up in terms of your opposition. First
Speaker 1: of all, do you agree with that that he's your
Speaker 1: biggest step up? When I look over the rest of
Speaker 1: your list of fights, he seems to stand out as
Speaker 1: the best guy he so far.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think on paper, he for sure is the
Speaker 2: best fighter that I've faced up to now.
Speaker 3: But like competition wise, you know, I.
Speaker 2: Won't really know what I'm in there with him, So
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm going in expecting the best Lechi ever,
Speaker 2: and that's what it is. You know, I'm gonna be
Speaker 2: the best day of the checko comes Saturday, and I
Speaker 2: just feel like Selecki has never been in there with
Speaker 2: a power punch like me, who's six flooring can box
Speaker 2: as well.
Speaker 3: Well.
Speaker 1: I asked you about that because his his his resume,
Speaker 1: you know, other than the only two blemishes on his
Speaker 1: record are against guys that were at the top, you know,
Speaker 1: top level of fighters. Daniel Jacobs, who was a multi
Speaker 1: time are a middleway, former middleweight title holder and one
Speaker 1: of the best for a period of time. That was
Speaker 1: all the way back in twenty eighteen he went to
Speaker 1: distance and then the only other fight we went to
Speaker 1: distance on a matchrom card as a matter of fact,
Speaker 1: against Demetris Andre in a WBO middleweight title fight in
Speaker 1: twenty nineteen. Other than that, guy's never lost. He's won
Speaker 1: four fights in a row. He's been at super middleweight.
Speaker 1: This will be his third fight in the way class.
Speaker 1: So when you analyze him, what is your take on
Speaker 1: his ability, what he brings, and what you have to
Speaker 1: be careful of.
Speaker 2: Every every fighter is a dangerous fighter, especially when he
Speaker 2: has the experience and he's a veteran and he's been
Speaker 2: in there with with a lot of champions. Like you said,
Speaker 2: you know, guys who've been at the top. You know,
Speaker 2: he's obviously a dangerous fighter, you know what I mean.
Speaker 2: But I've I strongly feel that I'm the more skilled fighter.
Speaker 3: I feel like I'm a better fighter than Daniel Jacobs
Speaker 3: and blub One dry to.
Speaker 2: You know, I feel like my skill set and the
Speaker 2: way I'm able to pick it up and bring it
Speaker 2: back down and just change rhythms and use my length
Speaker 2: and my legs and everything put together. I feel like
Speaker 2: I'm just a complete fighter and I'm able to adapt.
Speaker 2: You know, I'm able to change my game plan mid fight.
Speaker 2: I'm able to box and move or a step to
Speaker 2: him with my power shot and go to the body,
Speaker 2: you know. I mean, so, I just I feel like
Speaker 2: I have a lot of tools in my bag to
Speaker 2: really control the fight and make things go my way.
Speaker 1: Now, when he fought against Demetris Andred, he did get
Speaker 1: knocked down in that fight, but he didn't get stopped,
Speaker 1: and he didn't get stopped by Jacobs, who was a
Speaker 1: tremendous puncher out one hundred and sixty pounds. And so
Speaker 1: if Diego Pacheco can become the first man, it's you know,
Speaker 1: winning obviously is the most significant thing, of course for anybody,
Speaker 1: but if you could be the first guy to stop
Speaker 1: him of the guys the type of opponents that he
Speaker 1: has faced, how how big of a deal would that
Speaker 1: be to you? Is that something that's in your mind
Speaker 1: at all, or is it just a matter of like
Speaker 1: I got to win and I get the knockout, so
Speaker 1: be it.
Speaker 2: Definitely obviously want to want to get the knockout, you know.
Speaker 2: I want to give the people up performers that I'll
Speaker 2: remember and obviously make a statement so I can keep
Speaker 2: moving forward and get these bigger fights. But like you said,
Speaker 2: you know, once I'm in there, man, I'm just trying
Speaker 2: to win. I'm trying to get the That's all that
Speaker 2: matters to me. And if it takes for me to
Speaker 2: go at distance or or if I step to them
Speaker 2: and get them out of there, man, it doesn't really
Speaker 2: make a difference for me.
Speaker 3: Man, I want to get that win on my on.
Speaker 2: My record, and obviously you know I was on a
Speaker 2: nine k winning streak before my last fight, so I
Speaker 2: want to get back to my knockout ways.
Speaker 3: But obviously the most important thing.
Speaker 1: Is going to w all right, So I'll just wrap
Speaker 1: up with this then. I mean, you we mentioned before
Speaker 1: you fight in a way class where it's kind of
Speaker 1: hard to get the title fight because of the fact
Speaker 1: that you got one man in Canelo Alvarez, who holds
Speaker 1: three of the titles on the other one, which was
Speaker 1: as vacated, is you know, going to be up for
Speaker 1: grabs in a fight that's coming up, So no no
Speaker 1: openings if you will. But I wonder from your perspective,
Speaker 1: I mean, of course, Canelo was like the the the
Speaker 1: guy that everybody wants to fight in and around super middleweight.
Speaker 1: But is that sort of like is he your ultimate
Speaker 1: goal or is like, what is the other big fight?
Speaker 1: Because in your weight class, there's lots of other good
Speaker 1: fighters you got, like we just as an example, we
Speaker 1: saw Christian and Billy with a win last week. He's
Speaker 1: a top fighter. Mongia, is there your Mattroom stable mate, Berlanga.
Speaker 1: He's got the fight coming up against Canelo. He's in
Speaker 1: the weight class. So tell me how that shakes out, man.
Speaker 2: It's it's I feel like it's in an amazing time
Speaker 2: right now.
Speaker 3: You know, from my last two or three.
Speaker 2: Fights, I've been trying to get these big, big fights
Speaker 2: with the guys who are ranked high up there, so
Speaker 2: I can, you know, get to that world title shot
Speaker 2: sooner than later. But obviously, you know it's hard to
Speaker 2: make the fights. Like you said, some making fights.
Speaker 3: Isn't the easiest thing. And and I'm only twenty.
Speaker 2: Three years old, you know, so I feel like I
Speaker 2: have time to fight all those guys.
Speaker 3: Obviously, you know I won't go like Mungia. Even the
Speaker 3: guy Mugia is fighting the Canadian fighter, Eric Bazinier.
Speaker 2: Yeah, a good fighter. So there's another great fight. Obviously,
Speaker 2: I'm Billy after Berlanga. There's a ton of names, you
Speaker 2: know what I mean. So hopefully after this fight started
Speaker 2: next year, you know, we'll well, we'll start getting closer
Speaker 2: and closer to that well title fight.
Speaker 1: Well, I'm looking forward first and foremost of senior fight
Speaker 1: so Leski on Saturday, and I wish you nothing but
Speaker 1: the best of luck in that fight in Diego. Thank
Speaker 1: you very much for doing this today. Appreciate your fight.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Dan, I appreciate it. You bet