Boxing
Immanuwel Aleem is confident in his punching power versus Diego Pacheco
Pacheco vs. Aleem on DAZN subscription - TONIGHT
Diego Pacheco is undefeated in 25 fights, with 18 of those wins coming by way of knockout. He looks to make it 26-0 and 19 knockouts tonight as Pacheco battles Immanuwel Aleem from Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., live and exclusively on DAZN.
Earlier in his career, the 25-year-old was known for his knockouts. But as of late, Pacheco hasn't been focusing on the finish and instead has been working on his overall game. Out of Aleem's 22 wins, 14 have come by knockout. Aleem knows a win by Pacheco will put him in a spot to compete for a world title in his next fight. That gives Aleem more motivation to let his fists do the talking and is willing to do so in order to pull off the upset and perhaps steal the opportunities that could be coming Pacheco's way.
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“I'm just prepared for the occasion," Aleem said at Thursday's press conference. "There's a body on Saturday; I got to go get it. I’m just prepared. I'm a real boxer. I've been in this sport since I was 12. I know what is at stake. Besides all the other stuff that comes around, this is hands versus hands. And I know what these hands can do. They know these hands can do."
A past criticism by fans on social media has been that Pacheco likes to hold a little too much in his fights. Aleem has noticed it and hopes the referee forbids it from happening so they can put on a show for the fans.
“I know he holds probably three to four times a round," Aleem said. "Referees need to really identify that, and hopefully he doesn't make this a hugging match, and we can really throw hands. I fight everybody who's been tall; look at my record. I'm normally the shorter fighter nine times out of 10. It's another day in the boxing ring for me. It's my time for myself.”
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