Diego Pacheco bumped off another unbeaten foe.

The 6’4” super middleweight prospect from Los Angeles won every second of every round before closing the show in an eighth-round stoppage of Brazil’s Lucas de Abreu. Pacheco connected with several straight right hands in the fight ending sequence, prompting referee Gerard White to halt the contes at 2:32 of round eight in their DAZN-streamed undercard bout Saturday from Chukchansi Park in Fresno, California.

Pacheco (13-0, 10KOs) picks up his third win of 2021, even in a year he was in litigation to get out of his managerial contract with 2020 Manager of the Year David McWater. It hasn’t at all affected his career progress, including Saturday’s performance where he walked down the previously unbeaten de Abreu (12-1, 9KOs). Pacheco walked down the Brazilian with jabs and straight right hands, remaining poised even as the fight threatened to go to the scorecards.

That possibility evaporated in the final minute of the fight. de Abreu was clearly worse for the wear, with Pacheco coming forward and landing clean combinations upstairs. While de Abreu remained upright, he was clearly no longer able to defend himself as the fight was stopped.

Nikita Ababiy entered uncharted territory in preserving his unblemished record.

The unbeaten middleweight from Brooklyn returned to the ring for the first time in eleven months, soundly outpointing Sanny Duversonne over eight rounds. Judges Robert Byrd (80-72), Daniel Sandoval (79-73) and Steve Morrow (77-75) all scored in favor of Ababiy who had never previously fought beyond the sixth round in his pro career, having gone that distance in each of his last two starts. The 22-year-old prospect was expected to go rounds versus Miami’s Duversonne (11-5-2), once a rising prospect but who has settled into a survivor-first opponent.

The bout was largely one way, though Duversonne had his moments in round four with right hands upstairs and to the body. Ababiy (11-0, 6KOs) showed more discipline than has been the case in past fights, properly pacing himself to deliver a consistent performance even if having now gone the distance in three straight fights.

Former amateur standout Charlie Sheehy (1-0, 1KOs) enjoyed a successful pro debut with a fourth-round stoppage of Luciano Ramos. Sheehy—a seventeen-time national champion from the greater San Francisco area—dropped Ramos (0-2) with a right hand midway through the fourth and final round, with an ensuing volley prompting a stoppage at 1:48 of round four.

Oscar Alan Perez (4-0, 3KOs) went the distance for the first time in his career, earning a four-round shutout over Raymundo Rios Cardiel (3-7-2). Scores were 40-35 across the board for Perez, who scored a knockdown in round two and was content to box his way to victory the rest of the way.

The aforementioned bouts served in supporting capacity to the return of former four-division titlist Mikey Garcia (40-1, 30KOs), who faces Spain’s Sandor Martin (38-2, 13KOs) in a scheduled 10-round welterweight contest.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox