This isn’t the most hyped matchup of December 2025, but stylistically it can deliver a great show. Pacheco is taking on a dangerous opponent in a title fight, regardless of how some may feel about Sadjo due to his lower profile.

Kevin Sadjo is a power-pressure fighter. He offsets any size disadvantages with stamina, constant forward motion, and heavy shots—often trying to overwhelm and physically break opponents. Sometimes literally, as he did against the taller Cullen in 2023.

That’s exactly the kind of test a young but well-schooled boxer like Diego Pacheco needs—someone who can force him to think and possibly make mistakes.

Pacheco is surprisingly composed and calculated for a 24-year-old. He can get drawn into exchanges, but usually he relies on size, footwork, and technique to pick opponents apart from range.

A key extra factor is the physical dimensions: Pacheco is 10 cm taller and has a 28 cm longer reach. That’s striking even compared to Sadjo’s previous opponents, many of whom were also significantly bigger than the Frenchman.

Sadjo is 35 – nine years older than his opponent. It’s not a deal-breaker, but “sports aging” can arrive suddenly, especially for fighters who have to operate at a very high work rate, as Sadjo typically does.

At the same time, Pacheco can be considered more proven in terms of opponent quality: names like Sulecki, Nelson, and McCumby. Those were solid tests, and Diego passed them. On paper, that résumé looks stronger than the Frenchman’s recent opposition.

Stylistically, Sadjo is usually forced to work at a higher pace. Because he’s giving up size to most opponents, he’s constantly attacking—pressuring, trying to stay close, forcing inside exchanges, wrestling in the clinch, and looking for openings both to the head and the body.

Pacheco’s accuracy deserves special mention. His average accuracy around 28% is excellent. But 44% landed power shots, with efficiency increasing round by round, is genuinely impressive—numbers in the territory of someone like Jesse Rodriguez, one of the most accurate modern fighters.

This will be Pacheco’s third fight of the year, and the last two opponents—Nelson and McCumby—were legitimate challenges.

He faced real tests in 2025: Nelson gave him some problems and pushed him the full 12, giving Diego valuable experience. The McCumby fight showed progress and adjustments.

Sadjo hasn’t been inactive either—this will be his second fight of the year. Both opponents were stopped early (a KO in 3 and a stoppage in 4). The opposition was solid, but it’s hard to compare it to the level Pacheco has recently faced.

Sadjo’s 88.46% stoppage rate is eye-catching. He’s clearly a heavy-handed puncher, and surviving his pressure and explosive moments isn’t easy.

But power isn’t everything.

Pacheco has a 75% stoppage rate, and when you add his power-shot accuracy plus the major size/reach edge, he has real tools against any opponent—especially against a shorter pressure fighter who must regularly close distance.

Sadjo isn’t easy to hurt. He can take shots, blocks well, and fights confidently in the clinch. Fighters like that are hard to fully “open up” under fire.

Pacheco has also never shown major durability issues. The question is whether he can handle the Frenchman’s pace. Will Sadjo force him to stand still, lose discipline, or drop his hands at the wrong moment? That’s a key unknown.

For Sadjo, it’s not only his first fight at the Stockton Arena—this is also his U.S. debut. Hostile crowd energy is likely.

But he’s used to it. In 2023 he fought Britain’s Cullen in the UK and scored a stoppage. He travels frequently, so this is simply a new stage—just the biggest market.

Pacheco is moving toward being more than just a prospect—he looks like a future division leader. He has the full package: size, power, technique, accuracy. What’s left is proving it in the defining fights.

Opponents like Sadjo are perfect for that: strong, active, motivated—and in some ways stylistically manageable if Diego controls distance and tempo.

For Sadjo, this is a massive opportunity: become a star overnight by derailing a fighter many see as the future. Those moments are rare, so expecting him to be anything less than fully locked in would be a mistake.

He may be behind in pure skill, but he will give everything in the ring—or at least everything Pacheco allows him to give.