Diego Pacheco wants to kick his career into second gear, but first, he must pass a stiff test by taking another step-up fight when he faces Marcelo Esteban Coceres on Saturday night at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California to headline a Matchroom Boxing card on DAZN.

The 22-year-old prospect Pacheco (19-0, 16 KOs) has been promoted around the world this year by headlining bouts in Liverpool, Mexico, and now, in his hometown of Los Angeles.

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn believes Pacheco is the next world champion that will emerge from his stable, and Pacheco is ready to prove him right.

“I want to step up the competition in 2024 against ex-world champions or another up-and-coming fighter,” Pacheco told BoxingScene.com in an interview. 

“I'm getting older, stronger, and wiser, and this fight will be no different. You'll see an even better version of Diego Pacheco this Saturday. And I am only going to get better. I feel that I am one of the best of the division. It's only a matter of time ... you'll see.”

The 32-year-old Coceres (32-5-1, 18 KOs) certainly will provide a proper measuring stick to gauge how Pacheco is progressing. The Argentinian veteran has given former super middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders and up and coming undefeated fighters like Edgar Berlanga and Erik Bazinyan tough fights in recent years, albeit in losing efforts.

The 6 foot 4 Pacheco said he plans on leaning on his near six-inch height advantage to keep the fight in favorable range versus Coceres and working the body to pull off the win. 

He also wants to punish Coceres and have a better performance than Berlanga did – a fighter Pacheco already feels he’s better than. 

“I want to break [Coceres] down as the rounds go on, control the fight, and eventually get him out of there,” said Pacheco. “It's going to be a great fight. I don't take anything away from him.” 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.