STOCKTON, California – Kevin Lele Sadjo is comfortable being the underdog.
Sadjo will face unbeaten super middleweight contender Diego Pacheco on Saturday at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton, California. The 12-round bout promoted by Matchroom Boxing will stream on DAZN.
Sadjo, 26-0 (23 KOs), entered a bout against Jack Cullen as a 2-to-1 underdog. By closing, he was only a slight underdog – but an underdog nonetheless. Sadjo would stop Cullen in the sixth round on that December night in 2021, helping lay another brick in his path to this very moment.
“This is the position I like,” Sadjo told BoxingScene via a translator. “I have nothing to lose.”
Sadjo, now 35 years old, will be facing an uphill battle – almost literally. He stands 5ft 8ins and has a 68ins reach, while Pacheco, a 24-year-old from Los Angeles, stands at 6ft 4ins with a 79ins reach. Pacheco is known for fighting patiently and has a brilliant jab that keeps opponents on edge. When asked about Pacheco’s reach advantage, Sadjo of Creteil, Val-de-Marne, France, said, “Sometimes it is an advantage, and sometimes it is not.”
Sadjo mirrored Pacheco’s activity in 2025, as both fighters had fought two times before Saturday’s meeting. Pacheco, 24-0 (18 KOs), has seen his wins come atop Matchroom Boxing-promoted cards against Steven Nelson and Trevor McCumby. Sadjo, who is riding a three-fight knockout streak, has an 88 percent knockout ratio and is coming off stoppage wins over Martin Ezequiel Bulacio and Habib Ahmed.
Sadjo says he knows what he’s up against in what will be his first fight in the United States.
“It is going to be a tough fight,” Sadjo said, “and I will win.”
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
