Pacheco vs Cullen set for Mar. 11, Smith to headline

Callum Smith will reportedly face a ranked opponent in the main event

21-year-old super middleweight prospect Diego Pacheco is set to step up in class, as No Smoke Boxing reports and Jake Donovan confirms that he’ll face Jack Cullen on a March 11th Matchroom undercard.

Callum Smith faces TBA in the main event. Smith earned a shot at Artur Beterbiev when he knocked out Mathieu Bauderlique, but Eddie Hearn claims “Mundo” will fight a “top-15 opponent” rather than a tune-up.

Pacheco (17-0, 14 KO) is a physical specimen at 6’4” and has shown off the skills to match during his steady rise through the ranks. His four-fight, four-knockout 2022 campaign included a finish of Enrique Collazo on the Canelo-GGG 3 undercard, and he’ll look to keep the momentum going against his most noteworthy foe to date in Cullen (21-3-1, 9 KO).

“Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver,” a nickname that meets my extremely high standards for nom de guerres, is 4-1-1 since losing to Felix Cash in 2019. The wins include decisions over Avni Yildirim and John Docherty, while the loss came to undefeated French bruiser Kevin Lele Sadjo. He’s a solid opponent for this stage in Pacheco’s career and, at 6’3”, one of the few super middleweights Pacheco won’t tower over.