“Honestly, he has untouched talent,” McGirt said to the Boxing Mob. “He knows he’s good, but he doesn’t realize how good he is and could be.

“He does things sometimes that remind me of Vernon Forrest. When I say, ‘Okay, do that again,’ Vernon used to look at me like, ‘What the hell did I just do?’ He’s kind of the same way. I say, ‘Do that move again,’ and he’s like, ‘What did I just do?’ It’s just so natural. The key now is to sharpen it up and improve each fight.”

Pacheco (25-0, 18 KOs) will face Aleem at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, in what will be McGirt’s first fight working his corner. Although Aleem is viewed as a step below the elite contenders at 168 pounds, McGirt isn’t taking the assignment lightly.

“At this stage of the game, anybody’s a high risk,” McGirt said. “The key is just to prepare for any and everything and be ready for whatever he brings to the table.”

Saturday’s fight comes at an important point in Pacheco’s career. While he remained unbeaten with a decision over Kevin Lele Sadjo in his last outing, the performance drew criticism after he spent long stretches holding to neutralize Sadjo’s pressure. Instead of strengthening his standing among the division’s top contenders, the fight raised questions about whether he is ready for the elite names at super middleweight.

McGirt clearly believes those doubts overlook Pacheco’s natural ability. Now the challenge is turning that talent into the type of complete performance that restores confidence in his long-term championship potential.

A convincing win over Aleem would mark a strong start to the McGirt-Pacheco partnership. Another laborious performance would likely keep the spotlight on the questions that surfaced after the Sadjo fight.