As Naoya Inoue prepares to defend his super bantamweight titles against TJ Doheny at Ariake Arena tomorrow, he says Heavenly sports that he’s training harder than ever in his career. Inoue says he doesn’t think Doheny is a player who can just go the distance, so he thinks he will have to be on the alert at all times.

And even though Inoue is considered by many to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, he adds that he still hasn’t reached the top and says he’s still growing into the best version of himself.

“I don’t think I’m a finished product yet. There’s still a bit ahead of me. I know I can still become a better fighter. I hope the fans are looking forward to it too,” he said. To win this fight, I have to concentrate and knock him out. That’s the only thing I keep in mind when preparing for this fight. This is what I imagine now.”

Most fight fans who know Inoue will pick him as the clear favorite to dominate the upcoming fight, but Inoue and his team are taking a much more humble approach and say they rate Doheny as a powerful former champion who they don’t expect to be impressed by the reputation Inoue.

We will have live coverage of the morning fight, which will stream live on ESPN+ starting at 5:45 a.m. ET, so join us here at BLH for all the festivities and updates.

Results:

Diego Pacheco and Maciej Sulecki meet tonight in Carson, California for the super middleweight main event on DAZN, which starts at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Pacheco (21-0, 17 KO) is a 23-year-old who is moving quickly through his development process against gatekeepers and prospect vets. This is his ninth fight in 27 months, and in the build-up he said he hopes his next fight will be against a bigger name, closer to the 168-pound top. rankings.

Before that happens, he will have to defeat Sulecki (32-2, 12 KO), a tough economic class opponent of Sergei Derevyanchenko. Sulecki’s only losses were to Danny Jacobs and Demetrius Andrade, and he also defeated some good but not world-class fighters such as Gabe Rosado, Hugo Centeno and Jack Culcay. Sulecki also mentions Derevychenko because he is a more natural middleweight, although he has not yet made 160 pounds. limit within five years.

In support we will see the US debut of the electrifying super featherweight Eduardo Nunez (26-1, 26 KO), who in February scored his 27th knockout victory over Shavkat Rakhimov, but did so on a show hosted by a widely disgraced and corrupt (even for very low standards of this sport!) IBA, so the rest of boxing largely does not count it.

Elsewhere on the card are Cheavon Clarke (9-0, 7 KO) vs. Efetobor Apochi (12-2, 12 KO) and Adelaida Ruiz (16-0-1, 8 KO) and Ginny Fuchs (3-0, 1 KO) for the interim WBC super flyweight title.

We’ll be going live tonight in the comments below, so join us at 7:30 PM ET!

Main card (DAZN, 7:30 p.m. ET)

• Diego Pacheco (21-0, 17 KO) vs Maciej Sulecki (32-2, 12 KO), super middleweight, 12 rounds
• Eduardo Nunez (26-1, 26 KO) vs. Miguel Marriaga (31-7, 26 KO), super featherweight, 10 rounds
• Arturo Cardenas (14-0-1, 8 KO) vs. Jesus Arechiga (21-1, 15 KO), super bantamweight, 10 rounds
• Cheavon Clarke (9-0, 7 KO) vs. Efetobor Apochi (12-2, 12 KO), cruiserweight, 10 rounds
• Adelaida Ruiz (16-0-1, 8 KO) vs. Ginny Fuchs (3-0, 1 KO), super flyweight, 10 rounds

Diego Pacheco returns to action this Saturday when the adolescent and undefeated super middleweight contender takes on Maciej Sulecki in the DAZN main event in Carson, California.

Pacheco, 23, has stayed dynamic over the past few years and has been climbing the ranks in petite steps, making impressions along the way, but he hopes Saturday’s victory will put him among the top fighters at 168 pounds.

“The victory brings me one step closer,” said Pacheco (21-0, 17 KO). “If I can do that, hopefully it will give me a fight against someone who is in the top 10 with me, and then it will become a must-see for one of the titles, and next year I will get a shot at the world title.

“I don’t feel like I have to show anything special. People have already seen that I can knock people out, that I can hurt people in the body, I can drop guys with uppercuts, hurt them with jabs. I’m more about winning and looking good. That’s why I train, there’s no additional pressure.

Three specific names come to mind for Pacheco: Christian Mbilli, Edgar Berlanga and Erik Bazinyan.

“There is Mbilli, Berlanga, Bazinyan; there are many good players I would like to face and I am ready for any of them. It’s difficult for these guys to fight me because they think I’m a adolescent kid who hasn’t achieved much in this sport. But one fight at a time it’s getting to the point where they can’t say no to me anymore and those fights will have to be made and I’ve got a promoter in Eddie Hearn and Matchroom who’s lining up those fights, so at the right time I’ll be mixing it up with them everyone.

Mbilli is coming off a win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko earlier this month, and Berlanga is, of course, scheduled to face Canelo Alvarez in September. on September 14, and Bazinyan has his own substantial fight in September, where he will face Jaime Munguia on September 1. 20.