TV Picks of the Week: Diego Pacheco vs. Maciej Sulecki, Elijah Pierce vs. Jose Sanmartin

As we look ahead to September – with big fights featuring Naoya Inoue, Canelo Alvarez and Anthony Joshua – this final week of August brings a handful of boxing broadcasts.

Here’s what’s on the schedule for this week. And for those looking forward to what else is further ahead, BoxingScene’s schedule of major boxing broadcasts is regularly updated by yours truly.

Wednesday, Aug. 28: Nikita Tszyu vs. Koen Mazoudier (Main Event and Kayo Sports pay-per-view in Australia)

The free preliminary broadcast begins at 5:30 p.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time on Fox Sports 3 and Kayo Sports (3:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time, 8:30 a.m. BST). The pay-per-view begins at 7 p.m. AEST.

Tszyu, a 26-year-old junior middleweight prospect from Sydney, is the younger brother of former 154-pound titleholder Tim and another fighting son of Hall of Famer Kostya. Nikita is 9-0 (7 KOs) and coming off a fifth-round technical knockout of 10-0 Dylan Biggs last November and a wide decision – his first time going 10 rounds – over 8-1-1 Danilo Creati in April.

Mazoudier, a 28-year-old from the Sydney suburb of Blacktown, is 12-3-1 (5 KOs). He lost a majority decision in August 2023 to the 9-2 Benjamin Hussain and then stopped 5-0 Travis Druce in five rounds this March.

This show at the ICC Sydney Theatre also features Michael Zerafa (31-5, 19 KOs), last seen getting clobbered by Erislandy Lara in March. According to The Sporting News, if Zerafa gets by Tommy Browne (41 years old, 45-8-2 with 19 KOs), he could be in line for Tszyu.

Friday, Aug. 30: Elijah Pierce vs. Jose Sanmartin (DAZN)

The broadcast begins at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The main event at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta will see junior featherweight Pierce go for his 11th straight win since a 2019 majority decision loss to Sulaiman Segawa. Among recent victories for the 27-year-old Oklahoman: a decision over Tramaine Williams and a knockout of Mike Plania, both in 2023, and a TKO over Arthur Villanueva this past March that brought Pierce to 19-2 (16 KOs). 

Pierce will face Sanmartin, a 31-year-old from Colombia who is 35-8-1 (21 KOs). Sanmartin lost both of his fights in 2023, both against undefeated opponents, dropping a unanimous decision to Kevin Gonzalez and a split decision to Shabaz Masoud. This February, Sanmartin got back on the winning side with a points victory over the 15-27-2 Mauricio Martinez.

The undercard will feature the semifinals of Overtime Boxing’s junior middleweight tournament. Brandon Adams, 24-3 (16 KOs), will face Francisco Daniel Veron, 14-0-1 (10 KOs). And on the other side of the bracket, Andreas Katzourakis, 13-0 (10 KOs), will meet Robert Terry, 12-0-1 (4 KOs).

Saturday, Aug. 31: Diego Pacheco vs. Maciej Sulecki (DAZN)

The broadcast begins at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Pacheco, an undefeated super middleweight prospect, headlines against Sulecki at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Pacheco is a 23-year-old from Renton, Washington. He knocked out all three of his opponents in 2023, taking out Jack Cullen in four, Manuel Gallegos in four and Marcelo Coceres in nine. That Coceres fight was the farthest Pacheco had gone – until April, when he outpointed Shawn McCalman over the course of 10 rounds. That brought Pacheco to 21-0 (17 KOs).

Sulecki, a 35-year-old from Warsaw, Poland, is 32-2 (12 KOs). Those defeats came against Daniel Jacobs by unanimous decision in 2018 and Demetrius Andrade via shutout in 2019. Sulecki stepped away after a victory toward the end of 2021 and returned in June 2023 as a super middleweight. He has picked up a pair of wins since, including a May decision over an 11-5-1 foe with the amazing nom de guerre of Rowdy Legend Montgomery.

Saturday, Aug. 31: Cain Sandoval vs. Romero Duno (UFC Fight Pass)

The broadcast begins at 10 p.m. Eastern Time.

Sandoval, an unbeaten 140-pound prospect, comes into this fight with a record of 13-0 (11 KOs). The 22-year-old from Sacramento, California, has gone the distance in his past two appearances, winning a 10-round shutout over Javier Molina in February and outpointing Angel Rebollar in April.

Duno will be there as a measuring stick for Sandoval, given that the 28-year-old from the Philippines (and now living in Miami) has faced and lost to a number of recognizable names. Duno was knocked out by Ryan Garcia in 98 seconds in 2019, stopped by Frank Martin in four rounds in 2022, and knocked out in six rounds by Antonio Moran in January. That brought Duno to 26-4 (20 KOs).

This fight takes place at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California.

Saturday, Aug. 31: Julio Luna vs. Oliver Quintana (ESPN+)

The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

Luna is a welterweight from Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico, with a record of 22-1-2 (12 KOs). The 26-year-old has won three in a row since a 2022 decision loss to Giovani Santillan.

Quintana, a 27-year-old from Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, is 21-2 (16 KOs). He was stopped in 10 rounds in February 2023 by a 9-3 junior middleweight named Chester Parada Torales and has scored three straight knockouts since.

Follow David Greisman on Twitter @FightingWords2. His book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.