On Saturday in Las Vegas, Diego Pacheco 22-0 (18 KO) will face Steven Nelson 20-0 (16 KO).
A win for the duo at The Cosmopolitan would put the winner in line to face a major name in a division packed with them. While Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the division’s moneymaker, The focus might be on Terrence Crawford, although David Benavidez has moved up. But there are still many tough opponents and profitable alternatives.
But first, Pacheco and Nelson put their unbeaten record on the line. It’s a welcome novelty and often unusual in today’s sports world. Here are 10 more opportunities the unbeaten 168-pounders have faced at various points in their careers.
1. Roy Jones Jr. (time record: 26-0) vs. James Toney (time record: 44-0-2), November 1994
Two future Hall of Famers and boxing talents boxed in Vegas at MGM, where Toney was dropped in the third round and sent out over 12 rounds. The two were near the pinnacle of the sport, with The Ring magazine ranked Toney at No. 2 and Jones at No. 3 in its advance pound-for-pound rankings.
2. Joe Calzaghe (43-0) vs. Mikkel Kessler (39-0) November 2007
Kessler staked his 39-fight winning streak at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, against a great south Wales team. Calzaghe was cheered on by more than 50,000 fans. It was found that Kessler Leer was on the field for him early in the game but started attacking Kessler’s body. adjust his plan and win 12 rounds of higher level battles.
3. Karl Fauche (23-0) vs. Jean Pascal (21-0), December 2008
The fight was a party for Froch in front of his fans in Nottingham. united kingdom And it was considered a memorable 12 round war. The pair successfully competed for the vacant WBC title, a belt left behind by Calzaghe who had moved up to fight Bernard Hopkins.
4. Sven Ottke (24-0) vs. Anthony Mundine (10-0), December 2001
The outspoken Australian Mundine once joked about Ottke’s reputation as a lightweight fighter. But it came back to haunt Mundine, who had to be stopped in 10 rounds to compete for the IBF super middleweight title, at which point Mundine was deducted points for headbutts and strikes after the break.
5. Joe Calzage (40-0) vs. Jeff Lacy (21-0), March 2006
Calzaghe delivered one of the most comprehensive and systematic performances of all time, defeating Lacy, who was the major favorite for most people. Lacy lost his IBF title to Calzaghe, the WBO titleholder, but he was able to hear the final bell. Even with the avalanche skins that got in his way.
6. James DeGale (10-0) vs. George Groves (12-0), May 2011
The former amateur rivals met again at the beginning of their careers at the O2 Arena in London, and nothing happened between them. And while the fighting over the next few years Both of them were the ones wearing the belts. It will likely generate more income. At least we’ll see it happen when it counts Groves wins a close majority decision.
7. Andre Ward (26-0) vs. Edwin Rodriguez (24-0) November 2013
Even though the fight was held at 168 pounds, with Rodriguez losing 20 percent of his purse due to being 2 pounds overweight, it counted little in the end. Ward won every round of the fight in a bad mood. Both boxers were punished in the 4th round for unsportsmanlike behavior.
8. David Benavidez (27-0) vs. Demetrius Andrade (32-0) November 2023
Southpaw Andrade hasn’t fought since. He was dropped in the fourth round and cornered until he withdrew after a chaotic sixth round. It was billed as a temporary WBC position.
9. Karl Fosch (25-0) vs. Andre Durrell (18-0) October 2009
Unlike many of Froch’s fights, this one wasn’t all action. On the contrary, Durrell, an American southpaw who punched solidly. Instead, he was docked to bring Froch to him in the 10th and lost a split decision by two margins of 115-112 in favor of Froch and one overall, 114-113, for Dirrell. It was close, it was contested. It was part of the Super Six, but Froch raised his hand.
10. Mikkel Kessler (38 KOs) vs. Librado Andrade (24-0), March 2007
It seems easy to forget. Regarding how good the Danish great Kessler was, he has only lost to Andre Ward, Froch, whom he also defeated, and Calzaghe in 49 fights. His victory over Andrade was the last before he lost his unbeaten record to him. with Calzaghe, but by then Kessler had beaten Mundine, Eric Lucas and Markus Beyer. It must be acknowledged that Andrade received a huge amount of punishment at Parken in Denmark and survived when the final bell was heard. But he lost every round.
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing match in 1996. A former editor of Boxing News, he has written for several international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member of the Ringside Charitable Trust and Ring of Brotherhood. He has been A spokesperson for TNT Sports and host of the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast, Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer. International Boxing Hall of Fame Electors It is on The Ring rating board. and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (nominated for William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (nominated for Shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sports Book of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through the Wasteland of Boxing.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
