Pacheco, Hernandez, Smith fight dates official

DAZN have announced a trio of fight cards for August and September.

Diego Pacheco, Rocky Hernandez, and Dalton Smith all have return dates set for DAZN main events.

Super middleweight contender Pacheco (21-0, 17 KO) will be up first, as he faces veteran Maciej Sulecki on Aug. 31 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif. The 23-year-old Pacheco last fought on Apr. 6, winning a decision over Shawn McCalman in a fight that was maybe a bit tougher than some expected, but a test passed and a win picked up.

Sulecki (32-2, 12 KO) is 35 years old now and has fought just twice since 2021, and has been fighting at a pretty low level since his 2019 loss to Demetrius Andrade, where he was shut out over 12 rounds.

Super featherweight Hernandez (35-2, 32 KO) just had a new multi-fight deal with Matchroom announced, and will main event in Hermosillo, Mexico, on Sept. 13, facing Thomas Mattice.

Hernandez, 26, has earned a reputation as an action fighter, and just fought on May 11, beating Daniel Lugo by TKO in the seventh round. That followed a TKO-12 loss in a world title fight against O’Shaquie Foster last October.

If you were a ShoBox fan in recent years, you might know Mattice (22-3-1, 17 KO) from fights on that series. On the right night, he looks like a contender, but he’s been inconsistent. He’s been in good form, though, winning his last five fights, including back-to-back “0”-snatching wins over Christian Tapia and Ramiro Cesena.

Smith (16-0, 12 KO) returns on Sept. 28 in his hometown of Sheffield, England, facing Spain’s Jon Fernandez (26-3, 22 KO) for the European title at 140 lbs.

Smith, 27, is one of the rising stars in the Matchroom stable. He’s won the British and Commonwealth belts already, and last time out hammered out a KO win over veteran Jose Zepeda, a longtime contender. The 28-year-old Fernandez generally loses when he steps up the competition, but he can fight and is a solid next step for Smith.