Diego Pacheco was already prepared to trust the process while waiting out the fights for which he already felt he was ready.

A step up in class, of sort, comes this weekend when the unbeaten super middleweight faces Jack Cullen (21-3-1, 9KOs). The bout serves as the makeshift headline this Saturday on DAZN from M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England. The star treatment has already been provided for the occasion, with Matchroom Boxing providing Pacheco with his own media workout in London prior to the official launch of fight week festivities.  

“Eddie Hearn has a lot of great fighters in the UK that he supports a lot. Now he knows he has another stable in the US who are hungry and ready,” Pacheco told BoxingScene.com. “It’s time to make these fights happen. I want to fight the best, when the time is right. I’m only 21 so I know that time will come. That don’t mean I can’t fight the best for where I’m at right now. That’s why I’m in the sport.”

“As long as I put in the work and stay focused and dedicated, anything is possible.”

Pacheco (17-0, 14KOs) makes his U.S. debut this weekend, though he has already appeared on high-profile Matchroom shows in three different countries. The 21-year-old from South Central Los Angeles has previously fought in Mexico and Saudi Arabia in addition to the bulk of his time spent in the U.S. Saturday’s bout comes on the heels of a four-fight 2022 campaign, all won by knockout to extend his current streak to six in a row inside the distance.

In his most recent performance, Pacheco tore through Mexico’s Adrian Luna in a second-round knockout last December 3 in Glendale, Arizona. Luna was a late replacement, whom Pacheco and head trainer Jose Benavidez took seriously but regarded as the last stop of opponent on that level.

The promise of bigger fights on the horizon was immediately honored by Matchroom, who sought a co-feature slot on Saturday’s show versus the always entertaining Cullen.

The bout was upgraded to main event once local hero Callum Smith—a former WBA super middleweight titlist and current top light heavyweight contender—suffered a tweak in his back that forced him off the show. Pacheco was prepared for either role, knowing that the timing was right for such a fight—even if he felt he was ready all along.

"Obviously, promoters know what they’re doing,” Pacheco stated. “I just have to trust the process and their guidance. That’s what I’m doing. Matchroom has done an amazing job with my career so far, and they’re going to keep doing it. Eddie told me, ‘If you have the talent and are willing to put in the work, the path is here for you.’ I believe in that."

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox