Immanuwel Aleem was just what the doctor ordered for The Ring's No. 6 super middleweight contender to return to his dominant ways Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Pacheco (26-0, 19 KOs) dropped and stopped Aleem (22-5-3, 14 KOs) in the 11th round of a one-sided fight he controlled all the way. The knockout result was a much-needed development for Pacheco, who came into the clash off three consecutive workmanlike decision wins that failed to wow observers.

Adding insult to injury, the 25-year-old had passed on fights against Hamzah Sheeraz and Christian Mbilli because the matchups materialized while he was going through training and management changes, all while moving from Seattle to Los Angeles.

Pacheco is now preaching that he's ready to re-enter the 168-pound pack as a top player.

"I'm here to take over, and this is only the beginning," he said during his post-fight remarks. "I'm a knockout fighter. Ever since the amateurs, I've been putting guys out. So to go to decisions in my last three fights, it just didn't sit right with me. I had to come out here, and really make sure I put it on Aleem, and get him out of there."

With new coach Buddy McGirt in his corner, Pacheco outlanded Aleem 266-91 and did what WBC interim champion Lester Martinez couldn't do in March in another one-sided fight by stopping the outmatched foe.

"I feel like I'm a much better fighter than Aleem and Lester put together, and I just showed it," Pacheco said. "I was doing what Aleem gave me. I was studying him every round, and as the fight went on, I saw different openings, and I just took advantage of it.

"He took a lot of great shots to the head, and I knew that my body work was going to be the key. So once I went down to the body, it opened everything else up. We went in there and did what we had to do.

"Aleem was one tough fighter. He has a lot of heart. I controlled my jab, put my punches together, listened to my corner, and we got the job done. At this level, I feel like everyone is tough, even when guys aren't going down. You just have to keep being consistent and stick to the game plan, and that's what we did.

"It was just an overall change in my performance. My mentality coming into the fight was confident."

Pacheco's promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, was also pleased with the performance.

"I thought the first six or seven rounds were really a boxing masterclass. He used the jab perfectly. The most impressive thing is that he was always looking for the stoppage," Hearn told the media.

"Because he made the decision to just pause the world title shot, you don't really get the grace of being allowed to look average again. I think it was a really big statement to get the stoppage. He's still going to get better and better.

"He showed that he was a lot better with Buddy McGirt. He's just got to keep believing in himself, and I think Buddy will play a big part in that. So we can say now that there are a lot more improvements to come. And when he starts believing in himself, more specifically on the inside, he's going to be a real problem because his long game is fantastic and always has been."

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan