Diego Pacheco-Shawn McCalman DAZN’s Co-Feature 4/6; Richardson Hitchins-TBD In Main Event
Diego Pacheco hopes to fight Edgar Berlanga later this year, but the emerging, unbeaten super middleweight will have to get through another undefeated opponent first.
Boxing Scene has learned that Pacheco and Shawn McCalman have agreed to meet in a 10-round bout April 6. The Pacheco-McCalman match will be the co-feature of a Matchroom Boxing show DAZN will stream from a venue to be determined.
Pacheco (20-0, 17 KOs), a Los Angeles native who resides in Renton, Washington, most recently knocked out Argentina’s Marcelo Coceres (32-6-1, 18 KOs) late in the ninth round November 18 at YouTube Theater in Inglewood, California. The 22-year-old Pacheco, who is promoted by Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, has won nine straight bouts by knockout or technical knockout and is 6-0 since Jose Benavidez Sr. started training him in the Seattle area.
McCalman, meanwhile, will take a step up in competition when he opposes Pacheco.
The 30-year-old McCalman (15-0, 7 KOs) shut out Mexican veteran Cristian Olivas (22-10, 19 KOs) on all three scorecards in his last fight, an eight-rounder December 16 at The Armory in Minneapolis. In his previous appearance, McCalman, of Aurora, Colorado, outboxed American Money Powel IV (13-2, 8 KOs) and won an eight-round unanimous decision August 18 at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.
DAZN’s 12-round main event April 6 is expected to feature undefeated junior welterweight contender Richardson Hitchins.
New York’s Hitchins (17-0, 7 KOs) is unlikely to box British contender Jack Catterall in an IBF elimination that night. The IBF’s purse bid for its mandated Hitchins-Catterall contest has been postponed twice, the second time until Thursday.
The Hitchins-Catterall purse bid could be canceled altogether, which might lead to Hitchins facing the IBF’s next leading available contender, perhaps Argentina’s Gustavo Lemos.
Hitchins is ranked third by the IBF, but he is the New Jersey-based sanctioning organization’s top-rated contender for Subriel Matias’ title in the 140-pound division because the IBF’s top two spots are unoccupied. Catterall (28-1, 13 KOs) is ranked fourth by the IBF, ahead of fifth-rated Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs), sixth-ranked Regis Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs), seventh-rated Josh Taylor (19-1, 13 KOs) and the eighth-ranked Lemos (29-0, 19 KOs).
England’s Catterall might fight Scotland’s Taylor next in a higher-profile rematch than a potential bout with Hitchins, which would eliminate them from facing him April 6. Garcia, of Victorville, California, wants to challenge WBA champ Rolly Romero (15-1, 13 KOs) and Prograis probably wouldn’t entertain the idea of a fight with Hitchins so soon after the New Orleans native suffered a lopsided points loss to Devin Haney on December 9 at Chase Center in San Francisco.
Haney (31-0, 15 KOs), of Henderson, Nevada, won the WBC super lightweight title from Prograis.
