By James Stillerman
World-rated super middleweight contender Darius “DFG – Destined For Greatness” Fulghum (15-1-1, 13 KOs) takes on undefeated, top-ten-ranked Diego Pacheco (26-0, 19 KOs) this Saturday, November 14, in an intriguing matchup between two elite 168-pound boxers.
“That is the bout [against Pacheco] I told my team [Golden Boy Promotions has been Fulghum’s promoter since 2023] to get for me, and they did,” said Fulghum, who has publicly called out Pacheco over the past few months. “This fight is a huge blessing, and I am really excited for this opportunity. I am ready to show the world who I am, and now it is on me to deliver the victory.”
This 12-round main event at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, will air on TNT Sports and DAZN’s “The Fight,” the new monthly live boxing series, with the event being broadcast co-exclusively in the United States. Pacheco’s WBC Silver and WBO International super middleweight titles, which he has held since 2023, will be on the line.
“To win, I just need to be myself. I need to be the freest version of myself. Sometimes fighters get so locked into doing something so particular and so individualistic that they lose their freedom,” said Fulghum, who was offered the fight against Pacheco in August, but Pacheco fought Immanuwel Aleem instead. “I need to trust my training, trust everything I have done, and let that momentum carry me forward. This freest version of myself is fearless, victorious, quick-thinking, sharp, and hard to deal with. That version of me can do anything, including winning this fight.”
Pacheco scored an 11th-round knockout over Aleem in July, also in Carson, California, marking his first knockout victory since August 2024. The 25-year-old orthodox boxer from Los Angeles is ranked in the top 15 by all four major sanctioning bodies (WBO/WBC/WBA/IBF), as well as in the top ten by The Ring Magazine. Last year, Pacheco earned three unanimous decision victories over two previously unbeaten fighters, Steven Nelson and Kevin Lele Sadjo, and one-loss contender Trevor McCumby.
“He will try to use his length and reach to box, move around, and control the ring, but I have seen different styles from Pacheco, and I expect him to live and die by the jab. He trains under [Hall of Famer James] ‘Buddy’ McGirt, and everyone says McGirt emphasizes the jab, so if I can take away his jab, I will have a good chance at beating him,” said a confident Fulghum, despite entering the fight as a heavy underdog.
The winner of this matchup, which could be considered a title eliminator without guaranteeing the winner a mandatory challenger position, will move closer to a world title shot in the wide-open super middleweight division.
“Training camp has been going great. I have gotten great work, great sparring, and everything seems to be lining up perfectly for this fight. This is my chance to separate myself as a fighter, get in the mix with the top names, and get myself closer to fighting for a world title by beating Pacheco,” said Fulghum, who is ranked fourth by the WBA.
Fulghum hopes a victory over Pacheco will help him put a difficult 2025 behind him. Last year, he suffered his first professional defeat, losing a razor-thin 12-round unanimous decision to Bektemir Melikuziev in May. Melikuziev is ranked in the top six by all four major sanctioning bodies (WBO/WBC/WBA/IBF) and is the mandatory challenger for the WBA title. Fulghum also fought to a disputed 10-round majority draw against David Stevens in November. Stevens had previously defeated undefeated boxers Petr Khamkov and Sean Hemphill.
Melikuziev and Fulghum fought so closely that Melikuziev landed just one more punch than Fulghum (170 to 169). Fulghum threw more punches (442 to 407) and had a higher connect percentage (42 to 38). They were separated by two or fewer landed punches in seven of the 12 rounds. Melikuziev was deducted a point in the seventh round for excessive holding but dropped Fulghum in the 12th, the first time Fulghum had been knocked down. All three ringside judges scored the bout 114-112 for Melikuziev.
Fulghum settled for a 10-round majority draw against Stevens five months later, despite throwing and landing more punches and appearing to connect with the harder shots. Judge Javier Alvarez scored the bout 96-94 for Fulghum, while judges David Lacobucci and Chris Migliore scored it 95-95.
“I think I won both fights in 2025. They were close fights. I am never going to be the guy saying that I got robbed. I can admit it was a close fight, but I still felt like I won,” said the 30-year-old orthodox boxer from Houston, Texas. “It took some time to watch both fights, and it hurt even more after watching them because I still felt like I won.
But, at the end of the day, the decision was made. I want a rematch, and I know I would beat both of them more clearly, but I do not think either fighter wants to fight me again.”
Following his loss and draw, Fulghum made changes to his team at the start of 2026. He added one of boxing’s leading young trainers, Julian Chua, to his team. Chua works out of the 6,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Brickhouse Boxing Club in North Hollywood, California, and will work alongside Fulghum’s longtime head trainer, Darnell Pierce, who continues to train him in his hometown. Fulghum splits his time between training camps but has been working at Brickhouse with Pierce since mid-September in preparation for this upcoming bout. Pierce still oversees most of his training sessions.
“I added Chua to my team because I want to be around other elite fighters [John ‘Scrappy’ Ramírez (17-1, 9 KOs), Eric Priest (16-0-1, 8 KOs), Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez (48-2, 30 KOs), Oleksandr Gvozdyk (21-3, 17 KOs), among others] who are at this gym, who will push me, motivate me, and give me opportunities to learn from and spar with them. It is also good to get away from home so that I can lock in mentally. It was a good approach for me,” Fulghum said.
Fulghum scored a third-round knockout over Cuban boxer Yoanki Urrutia in May in his last outing. He dominated the bout and dropped Urrutia late in the third round with a series of hard combinations. Urrutia got up but appeared unsteady and dazed, prompting his corner to stop the bout before the fourth round began. The victory was Fulghum’s first in a little over a year.
“I knew he did not like power. He likes to fight at a comfortable pace, box, and control it, and I took that away from him. It was a good performance for me and brought me back into a good spot,” said Fulghum, who trained at Brickhouse for his bout against Urrutia. “People will say this guy was not up to par, but he is a really good fighter. Urrutia fought a former Olympian [Euri Cedeno, who represented the Dominican Republic at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics] who went the distance [eight rounds], and I stopped him in the third round. I did what I had to do.”
For more information about his boxing career and upcoming fights, follow him on X, Facebook, and Instagram @DariusFulghum.
“I had a rough 2025, and I will never let that happen again. I want to be a world champion so bad, and I know I can do it. I need to make sure everything is taken care of on my end,” Fulghum said. “Tune in on November 14 and watch me beat Pacheco and get closer to fighting for a world title.”
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