Coach Jose Benavidez Sr. says his fighter Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) is not ignoring Steven Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) in their 12th round title fight this Saturday, January 25 at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Chelsea Ballroom, Las Vegas. The event will be broadcast on DAZN.

(Credit: Matchroom Boxing)

Jose Sr. he says he could have fought anyone, but he wanted Nelson, 36, who is not exactly nine years younger. He’s a late starter in the lineup due to his long career, but he has the talent to win this fight if he can get to the chin of the 23-year-old Pacheco. We’ve seen Diego have a few close calls.

On the undercard, lightweight contender Andy Cruz will fight Omar Salcido in a 10-round fight. Cruz wants to challenge WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson for his belt.

No Ignoring Nelson

“He doesn’t want to face a fighter like Diego Pacheco. Canelo has everything to lose and nothing to gain,” said Jose Benavidez Sr. Sean Zittel about Canelo Alvarez not agreeing to fight Diego Pacheco.

“That’s not going to happen because Canelo wants to fight fighters that come at you. Fighters that aren’t that good looking. Diego Pacheco has good straight punches. He’s small with good legs and power,” Jose Sr. said.

“He is a good fighter. He is strong and relies on his own strength. This is why we are not underestimating Steven Nelson. We take him seriously because he wants what Diego Pacheco wants. They want to beat us to get big fights. We want to beat him to get big fights. It will be very interesting for me and for the people.

“We were trying to make a deal with Christian Mbilli. We signed the paper, and he said, ‘No, he wants to fight again.’ We are ready. These are the fights that will get us there. The fights are tough to convince the people.

“We’re showing ourselves and focusing on Steven Nelson. He’s a very dangerous fighter. After that, we’ll see what we can do. For now, we’re 100% locked in on Steve Nelson,” said Benavidez Sr.