Hearn Wants Pacheco on the Turnbuckle Calling Out Canelo Saturday Night
Eddie Hearn says Diego Pacheco needs to look dominant against Darius Fulghum and then call out Canelo Alvarez and Jaime Munguia.
Eddie Hearn has a plan for Saturday night in Carson, California: Diego Pacheco beats Darius Fulghum, looks good doing it, and then stands on the turnbuckle and calls out Canelo Alvarez.
Hearn laid it out at Friday's weigh-in. He wants Pacheco to forget the survival-mode boxing that has crept into his recent performances and put on a show. Per Boxing News 24, Hearn said Pacheco needs to be "doing a job on Darius Fulghum" and then calling out both Canelo and Jaime Munguia from the turnbuckle.
The 25-year-old Pacheco is 26-0 with 19 knockouts and stands six-foot-four, but his last two outings have raised questions. He struggled with Kevin Lee Sadjo last December in a fight where Sadjo hurt him multiple times and dropped him in the eighth round. Pacheco fought in safety-first mode over the final rounds while fans booed.
Fulghum is not here to play along. The big puncher told Pacheco he made a mistake choosing him as an opponent and said he plans to knock him out. Fulghum has power and the willingness to get inside, which could spoil Hearn's plans entirely.
Canelo has reportedly named Terence Crawford and Willy Hutchinson as his next targets, so the Pacheco path to a mega-fight is far from guaranteed. But Hearn clearly believes a dominant performance Saturday changes the conversation.
I like the vision, but Pacheco has to actually do it first. This is a fighter who got dropped by Kevin Lee Sadjo and spent four rounds holding on. You cannot go from that to calling out the best super middleweight alive and expect people to take you seriously.
Pacheco has the size and the tools. At six-four with real power, he is built to give Canelo problems. But tools mean nothing if you freeze when you get hit. Fulghum is going to come forward and throw bombs. If Pacheco shells up again, the Canelo conversation dies on the spot.
Hearn is right that this is the moment. The WBC is already moving Pacheco toward a Canelo shot, and a highlight-reel finish over Fulghum would give Matchroom something to sell. But if Pacheco wins ugly, or worse, loses, then Hearn is back to square one. Saturday night will tell us whether Pacheco is a real contender or just a tall guy with a nice jab and a promoter who believes in him more than the tape does.
https://www.boxingnews24.com/2026/11/hearn-wants-diego-pacheco-on-the-turnbuckle-calling-out-canelo/
