Diego Pacheco returned to the ring in style a few hours ago as he dismantled Immanuwel Aleem over 11 rounds.
Pacheco’s stoppage win over Aleem may have cemented his shot at a world title next.
At 25 years old, the rising super middleweight star continues to shine, improving his professional record to 26-0 after turning over in December 2018.
He now has 19 stoppage victories, with the win over Aleem marking his first knockout after three consecutive decision wins.
Last December, he claimed the WBC Silver super middleweight title and has now successfully defended the belt for the first time.
He will now assess the best route to a world title shot, and here are three potential opponents he could face next.
Jaime Munguia
Mexico’s Jaime Munguia may be the frontrunner for the 25-year-old after Pacheco called out the experienced world champion following his victory.
Promoter Eddie Hearn also spoke about the possibility of the fight.
“Is there a better fight than Diego Pacheco against Jaime Munguia for the world super middleweight title?
“This is a mega fight here [Los Angeles].”
Munguia currently holds the WBA super middleweight world title after defeating Armando Resendiz back in May.
He claimed a convincing points victory over ‘Toro’, with the judges scoring the contest 117-111, 119-109 and 120-108.
Munguia has lost just twice in his 48-fight professional career, with his first defeat coming against Canelo Alvarez in May 2024.
He was beaten over 12 rounds after being dropped in the fourth.
After returning with a tenth-round stoppage win over Erik Bazinyan, Munguia suffered a shock second defeat.
He was upset by Bruno Surace, who entered the bout as a huge underdog.
Munguia dropped the Frenchman in the second round before being stopped himself in the sixth.
Five months later, he avenged the defeat with a comfortable points victory in the rematch.
Hamzah Sheeraz
Britain’s Hamzah Sheeraz is another potential opponent for Pacheco, especially after recently claiming the WBO super middleweight world title.
Sheeraz also remains unbeaten after 24 professional contests, although he was held to a draw against Carlos Adames for the WBC middleweight title last February before moving up in weight.
In his next outing, he faced former world title challenger Edgar Berlanga in his home city of New York and made a huge statement.
The 27-year-old dropped ‘The Chosen One’ twice in the fourth round before finishing the contest in the fifth.
In his most recent outing, Sheeraz fought with the silhouette of the iconic Pyramids of Giza behind him as he captured a world title for the first time in his near nine-year professional career.
He faced unbeaten Alem Begic, who looked out of his depth against the much taller Brit.
Sheeraz did his job emphatically, stopping Begic in the second round to claim the vacant WBO world title.
Just over two months later, he is set to return to the ring on the undercard of Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga.
He takes on Simon Zachenhuber next week and will look to make the first defence of his world title.
Osleys Iglesias
Another route to world honours could come through the IBF super middleweight title, currently held by Osleys Iglesias.
A clash between the pair would pit two of the division’s biggest punchers against one another.
‘El Tornado’ has won all 15 of his professional contests and boasts a devastating 94% knockout ratio.
He won the IBF title in April by stopping Pavel Silyagin in the eighth round after winning every round on all three judges’ scorecards beforehand.
A fight with Pacheco could also benefit Iglesias, who would have the opportunity to improve his standing in the WBC rankings, where he currently sits outside the top 10.
Pacheco may also keep an eye on the winner of Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli’s clash in October as he targets the full WBC super middleweight world title.
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