Terence Crawford wasn’t happy with how his teammate and fellow Omaha, Nebraska native Steven Nelson failed to capitalize on the flaws in super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco’s game last Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
(Credit: Melina Pizano/Matchroom)
The Left Hook
The former four-division world champion Crawford says he was shouting Nelson (20-1, 16 KOs) to throw his left hook the entire fight because Pacheco (23-0, 18 KOs) was turning, exposing his back with his defensive tactic.
All Steven could say in his defense was that he’d been cut over his left eye in the third and saw yellow from that side.
Nelson, 36, didn’t take advantage of this flaw. Indeed, he fought the wrong fight for the first ten rounds, and it was not until the 11th & 12th that he went after the skinny 6’4′ stork-like Pacheco, overwhelming him with punches and pressure. It was too late by then, and Diego, 23, survived to win a 12-round unanimous decision.
Too Little, Too Late
However, that didn’t prevent him from fighting hard in the final two rounds to make it close. He should have been on the attack much earlier instead of waiting until late in the fight to go after Pacheco.
The scores were 117-111, 117-111 and 117-111.
Pacheco vs. Nelson Final Punch Stats
– Diego Pacheco – 132 of 464 punches for 28.4%
– Steven Nelson – 77 of 560 punches for 14.8%
Terence Crawford: “I was trying to tell you the whole fight [to throw] the hook. He [Diego Pacheco] kept going like this [turning his back to him]. Throw the f**** hook,” said Terence Crawford in the dressing room, lecturing Steven Nelson for failing to capitalize on the openings that were there all night in his fight against Diego Pacheco.
Steven Nelson: “I couldn’t see out of his eye [left]. It was orange and yellow. So, this s*** right here. I was hesitant to get caught up here. So that’s why it was hard to do that s***. The blood. You know, right after I got cut in the third round, everything started.”
Post fight debrief inside the dressing room of Steven Nelson 🔊 #PachecoNelson pic.twitter.com/M7V8kEMwrQ
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) January 26, 2025