3 Opponents Who Could Be Next For Diego Pacheco

Few fighters are as primed for a big 2025 as Diego Pacheco.

Pacheco remained undefeated and retained his super middleweight USWBC and WBO titles with a unanimous decision (117-111 3x) victory over Steven Nelson. With the win, Pacheco improved to 23-0 with 18 knockouts and has his sights set on bigger things with his next fight.

"Any of those guys in the top five," Pacheco said in the post-fight interview. Eddie [Hearn] knows we've been trying to get those guys. I never ducked anybody. Anybody they brought up to the table. I said, 'Let's go. Let's do it.' Steven Nelson was the guy who had been calling me out too and I told him we could run it. Gotta give him his opportunity and we gave the fans a hell of a fight."

Pacheco is ranked in the top six by three of the four major sanctioning bodies, including being No. 1 in the WBO. Here are three opponents who should be on the radar for Pacheco as his next opponent.

Edgar Berlanga

Few rivalries are as fierce in boxing as the one between Mexico and Puerto Rico, and a bout between Pacheco and Berlanga would add another chapter to it.

Berlanga got a taste of the rivalry when he gave a strong showing in a unanimous decision loss to Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez on Sept. 14. The Puerto Rican super middleweight, based out of New York, is set to return on March 8. Berlanga was among the names mentioned in Pacheco's post-fight interview by his promoter, Eddie Hearn.

Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs) got off to a hot start, winning the first 16 bouts of his career by first-round knockout, and was one of the rising prospects in boxing. Since then, only one of his last six wins has come by knockout.

MORE: Diego Pacheco, Eddie Hearn Reveal Next Steps After Win vs. Steven Nelson

Still, Berlanga, 27, remains a big name, and his performance against Canelo showed he belongs with the top names at super middleweight.

Pacheco has also proven his name belongs with the upper echelon of the division and further proved that with his win over Nelson. It also helps that both fighters are promoted by Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn, which will make negotiations for a potential fight much easier.

A fight between Pacheco and Berlanga won't just move the winner closer to a title shot for one of the four main belts, it could also decide the next face of the division and add another notch to the rivalry that is Mexico vs. Puerto Rico.

Christian Mbilli

Pacheco hasn't hesitated to call out Mbilli before, and with Canelo reportedly setting his sights on pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford, now would be as good a time as any for the two undefeated super middleweights to lock horns.

Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs), is coming off of a one-sided unanimous decision victory over former middleweight champion Sergiy Derevyanchenko on August 17 and he currently holds the WBC Continental Americas belt.

Mbilli, 29, who has primarily fought in Canada throughout his career, is ranked in the top three by all four major sanctioning bodies and is No. 1 by the WBC.

A matchup pitting Pacheco and Mbilli would be an intriguing clash of contrasting styles. Mbilli leans heavily on his physical strength and ability to muscle his way onto the inside, where his strength can pay dividends. Pacheco, on the other, hand is better at range by using his 6-foot-4 frame and timing his opponents on the way in.

If the two eventually meet, it has the makings for one of the better fights of the year.

William Scull

With Canelo having three of the four major belts, it'd be tough to envision one of the top super middleweights not setting their sights on William Scull and his IBF belt.

Scull (23-0, 9 KOs), who is a crafty Cuban based out of Germany (yes, you read that correctly), fought for the vacant IBF belt after Canelo was forced to vacate it and won it with a close unanimous decision victory over Vladimir Shishkin. Scull had to withstand a late rally after getting rocked early in the 12th round.

If Pacheco's team has their sights set on getting him a belt, Scull would be the top target. And if Pacheco were to pull take Scull's belt, it could set him up to be the A-side in some of the bigger fights that could be made at super middleweight.

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