Jaime Munguía Faces New Challenger After Diego Pacheco's Dominant Win

Diego Pacheco's dominant win over Immanuwel Aleem on Saturday night has sent shockwaves through the boxing world, with many calling for a potential showdown with WBA super middleweight champion Jaime Munguía.

What happened?

Diego Pacheco, under the guidance of new trainer Buddy McGirt, delivered a much-improved performance to stop Immanuwel Aleem in Round 11 of their DAZN main event at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. Pacheco (26-0, 19 KOs) had gained a reputation for being a knockout artist, but his 2025 campaign had seen him go the 12-round distance for three fights in a row, all in unimpressive showings.

Why it matters for Jaime Munguía

Pacheco's victory has sparked calls for a fight against Munguía, who has been a long-time idol for the young boxer. "I've got a lot of respect for Jaime Munguía," Pacheco said after his win. "That's a guy that I've looked up to since I was a kid. I remember being in Mexico when I was watching him win his first world title at 154 pounds."

What comes next?

Pacheco's performance has raised questions about his potential to challenge Munguía for the WBA super middleweight title. With his improved jab and body shots, Pacheco has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with in the super middleweight division. As he continues to develop under the guidance of McGirt, Pacheco may soon find himself in a position to challenge Munguía for the title.

Pacheco's victory over Aleem was a testament to his growing skills as a boxer. He threw his jab consistently to break Aleem down and set up his power shots. The jab clearly gave the much shorter Aleem problems and prevented him from closing the gap with regularity. Whenever Aleem got close, Pacheco met him with hard body shots and threw the right uppercut through the middle.

In the second half of the bout, Pacheco landed the left hook downstairs at will. Each time the shot landed, the fight was being taken out of Aleem little by little. The first big breakthrough came in Round 7, when Pacheco hurt Aleem to the body at the end of the frame. Aleem managed to weather the storm though, and saw out the round.

Pacheco began to hold his feet more in the following rounds and dig in with heavy hooks downstairs. In Round 10, Pacheco had Aleem in trouble with a blistering combination. He proceeded to rock his opponent with a right uppercut and poured on the pressure in search of a stoppage, but referee Ray Corona allowed the bout to continue despite Aleem absorbing significant punishment.

After an inspection from the referee and the doctor, Aleem was allowed off his stool for Round 11. He'd lost every round of the fight at that point, and the chances of a knockout appeared slim: for Aleem anyway. But Pacheco knew he still had to deliver a finish in front of his home crowd, and that is exactly what he did.

In Round 11, Pacheco picked up right where he left off. Several big rights forced Aleem onto one knee, and from there, it just took one clean combination for referee Corona to step in and stop the contest.

category: match_report