Diego Pacheco Leads Canelo-Golovkin Undercard With KO

LAS VEGAS — Super middleweight prospect Diego Pacheco took his time before bringing the hammer down on Enrique Collazo.

After a slow-paced four rounds that Pacheco dominated, he dropped Collazo hard in the fifth round and finished him in the follow up attack to win a regional title in the final fight before the start of the Canelo Alvarez-Gennadiy Golovkin III pay-per-view on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Pacheco, in his first fight since his recently announced contract extension with Matchroom Boxing, landed a powerful right hand in the fifth round that sent Collazo (16-3-1, 11 KOs), 33, a 2012 Puerto Rican Olympian, to the mat. He was wobbly but beat the count and responded well enough to referee Celestino Ruiz that he was allowed to continue but Pacheco was all over him.

He forced a still shaky Collazo to the ropes and after Pacheco (16-0, 13 KOs), 21, of Los Angeles, landed a few more shots, Ruiz stepped in and waved it off at 2 minutes, 29 seconds.

Castro blasts Mendoza

Lightweight prospect Marc Castro dominated Kevin Montiel Mendoza en route to a highlight-reel fifth-round knockout.

Castro (8-0, 6 KOs), 22, of Fresno, California, who was appearing on his fifth Alvarez undercard, was in total control when, just before the bell ending the fourth round, he landed an overhand right that buckled Mendoza and sent him into the ropes.

Castro spent the fifth round nailing a retreating Mendoza (6-2-2 3 KOs), 23, of Mexico, with clean shots before landing a powerful right uppercut that dropped Mendoza hard, causing referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight without a count at 1 minute, 40 seconds.

Aponte vs. Molina a draw

Canelo Promotions prospect Fernando Molina and Aaron Aponte battled to a split draw in their junior welterweight bout in which they were each knocked down. One judges had it 75-75 and the other two judges each had it 76-74, one for Aponte and one for Molina.

Aponte (6-0-1, 2 KOs), 21, of Hialeah, Florida, scored a knockdown late in the second round when he landed a short left hand, although he also appeared to push Molina (8-0-1, 3 KOs), 20, of Mexico.

Molina rocked Aponte in the fourth and then dropped him late in the fifth round with a clean right uppercut followed by a right hand.

Herrera win by tech. dec.

Bantamweight Anthony Herrera (3-0-1, 2 KOs), 21, of Los Angeles, notched a shutout fifth-round technical decision against Delvin McKinley (4-4-1, 4 KOs), 26, of New Orleans, in a scheduled six-rounder.

Herrera won 50-45 in a dominating performance but the fight halted at 19 seconds of the fifth round due after an accidental head butt left McKinley dazed with swelling around his right eye.