Chris Oliver previews Saturday night's live boxing on DAZN, featuring a massive fight at middleweight plus a real test for Joe Cordina.
Boxing betting tips: Saturday action
2pts Diego Pacheco to win by decision at 21/10 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power)
1pt Gabriel Flores Jr to win by stoppage at 12/1 (Betfred, 888sports, Star Sports)
Stockton, California is the venue for this weekend’s big fight action as DIEGO PACHECO and Kevin Lele Sadjo battle for a leading super middleweight ranking, live on DAZN.
The picture at 168lb was blown open recently when Terence Crawford snatched all four belts from Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and, having subsequently been stripped of the WBC strap, the American could vacate the remaining titles with a move back down in weight.
Therefore, there is the carrot of a possible title shot next for Pacheco and Sadjo, whose bout in the early hours of Sunday morning is an intriguing clash of styles between two unbeaten men with a combined record of 50-0.
A Mexican-American, Pacheco (24-0, 18 early) is the home fighter in terms of geography as well as in a promotional sense, and he is the 2/7 favourite to maintain his winning run.
He has long been hyped, especially by Eddie Hearn, as a future star and British fans got a glimpse of his potential when he stopped Jack Cullen in four one-sided rounds in Liverpool in early 2023.
The 24-year-old has continued to impress with half a dozen wins since and he gained some essential seasoning by going the full 12 rounds when comfortably outpointing Steve Nelson and Trevor McCumby in his last two fights.
They are two good yardsticks, and he dealt with them handily enough, so many fancy him to do the same to Sadjo, but the latter is a potential banana skin and, despite odds of 7/2, he must be respected.
The Frenchman has 23 stoppages from his 26 wins and also has a knockout over Cullen on his record, having halted the Brit in Manchester inside six rounds 16 months earlier than Pacheco.
Eight knockouts from nine victories have followed for Sadjo and guaranteed to be bringing the heat, you can get 6/1 about him gaining another stoppage victory here.
With his short, stocky frame, he ploughs forward relentlessly and looks to close the distance in order to land his heavy hooks on the inside. He also goes to the body well and is physically very strong.
However, he hasn’t been mixing in the same kind of company as Pacheco and although Sadjo is 11 years older, it may be the younger man who is actually more experienced at this kind of level.
At 6’4” with an 11-inch reach advantage, Pacheco has all the tools to keep this long and not play into the hands of the underdog by fighting on the inside.
The favourite has a lovely jab, good power in the right hand and a hard left hook to gain the respect of Sadjo, while he is also much quicker and it could be tough for the older man to get past those long levers.
Pacheco has experience of fighting someone of similar statue to Sadjo in the shape of Nelson, who did have success against the taller man but was a clear loser in the end and Pacheco should have learnt plenty from that contest.
It’s a best price of 20/21 that Pacheco maintains his winning streak with a stoppage here and he could wear his man down late on if dominant enough. However, his power hasn’t been as effective when stepping up in class on his last two outings and I prefer the 21/10 about a third decision victory in a row for Pacheco.
While he should be able to utilise his fast hands and huge wingspan to outbox his man here, Pacheco wasn’t as effective when punching down on another smaller man in Nelson and Sadjo looks a very hard man to deter. The favourite may even have some tricky moments to overcome but I expect him to do so, and the value may lie in him claiming this on the scorecards.
Flores at a fancy price
There is British interest on the undercard as Joe Cordina continues his quest towards becoming a two-weight world champion against GABRIEL FLORES JR.
Cordina lost his super featherweight title in his third defence against Anthony Cacace last May, a defeat which signalled a return to lightweight, and he reappeared with a unanimous decision win over Jaret Gonzalez in July.
However, despite the wide scorecards, the Welshman didn’t look great that night and was in danger of being stopped in a torrid fifth round. It may have been a case of ring rust and that he is better this time, but he could be in trouble here if he doesn’t raise his game.
Flores Jr (27-2) lost decisions to future world champion Luis Alberto Lopez and the unbeaten Giovanni Cabrera in 2021 and 2022 respectively but arrives on a six-fight winning streak and has been much more active than Cordina recently.
If Cordina is at his best, he should justify odds of 2/5 by outboxing Flores Jr, as was the case in the latter’s two defeats, and it is 23/20 for Cordina to claim another decision victory.
However, after weight-making struggles at super featherweight and a host of injuries which have hampered his career, it’s not clear what Cordina has left at 34 and there were some worrying signs in his last outing.
There are also concerns about his ability to take a shot these days and it could be worth taking a chance on Flores Jr to win by stoppage at 12/1. He is a live opponent in good form and I’m not sure Cordina is the fighter he once was, so it looks worth a punt at huge odds.
Posted at 13:40 GMT on 11/12/25
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Both of these like to go for the knockout and they carry power, but I expect Marshall to have too much on her return to boxing and the 4/1 about her getting a stoppage looks too big to me.
