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Boxing

Five reasons to watch Dalton Smith vs. Walid Ouizza and Diego Pacheco vs. Steve Nelson on DAZN

Five reasons to watch Dalton Smith vs. Walid Ouizza and Diego Pacheco vs. Steve Nelson on DAZNDAZN

Saturday night will see two of boxing's most exciting stars return to action for their first fights of 2025 live on DAZN

In the UK, Sheffield's Dalton Smith will face Walid Ouizza for the vacant European super lightweight title, while Diego Pacheco goes head-to-head with Steve Nelson in Las Vegas. 

Here are five reasons why fight fans need to watch this weekend's two major fight cards on DAZN

12 hours of non-stop live boxing

Fight fans both in the UK and US will not need to leave the DAZN platform this Saturday to watch Smith vs. Ouizza and Pacheco vs. Nelson. 

The Smith vs. Ouizza fight card will begin at 7pm GMT / 2pm ET with the Pacheco vs. Nelson to follow at 1am GMT (Sunday) / 8pm ET meaning back-to-back live events

With Smith and Pacheco being tipped for big things and potential world title shots in 2025, boxing fans cannot afford to miss these two events. 

Dalton Smith challenging for a new title

Dalton Smith_24032024Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

After winning super lightweight honours at British level, Dalton Smith now looks to capture European honours against Walid Ouizza. 

Winning a European title en-route to a potential world title shot is an old school way of charging towards boxing's top prizes, but for Smith, this is a chance to continue developing and prove that he can mix it with the very best in and around his weight class. 

His opponent Ouizza boasts a 19-2 (8 KOs) professional record and comes into this fight on the back of a 11-fight winning streak. 

Diego Pacheco continues world title quest

Diego Pacheco_06042024Ed Mulholland/Matchroom

Diego Pacheco's career is gaining momentum at a rapid pace. 

His last outing in August against the experienced Maciej Sulecki saw him beat the Pole with a sixth round knockout, and now some are tipping for Pacheco to have his chance at facing unified super middleweight champion Saul "Canelo" Alvarez sooner rather than later. 

However, in order to take a step closer to this dream, Pacheco needs to get past Steve Nelson who is undefeated in his 20 fights as a professional, and he too won his last contest by way of knockout. 

World title action in Nottingham 

Ellie Scotney_13042024Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

On the undercard of Smith vs. Ouizza is a women's world title fight. 

Ellie Scotney will be defending her IBF and WBO women's super bantamweight titles against Mea Motu with Scotney hoping to unify the division in 2025. 

The pair were set to meet back in October, but this was cancelled after Scotney was forced to withdraw due to injury. 

Exciting prospect Andy Cruz's rise

Andy Cruz_03082024Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing

Since making his professional debut in 2023, Cuban lightweight Andy Cruz is generating plenty of excitement. 

Currently 4-0 (2 KOs), Cruz kicks off his 2025 against Omar Salcido Gamez, and after beating Antonio Moran in August, fight fans will be hoping the 29-year-old can continue making statements to the rest of the lightweight division.