Chris Algieri (22-3, 8 KOs) boxed his way a unanimous decision victory tonight against Danny Gonzalez (17-2, 7 KOs) in the second fight after a two year layoff. The fight turned into a much tougher contest than many expected for the former champion.
Algieri has always been known for his boxing ability and he had it on full display early on in the contest. Algieri fought at a pace that he was comfortable with during the first half of the fight.
Instead of boxing on his back foot he spent long duration’s of the contest actually being the aggressor. He pushed back the smaller man Gonzalez with his pressure, while landing clean shots.
As the fight went on however the tables seemed to turn as Gonzalez began to land shots of his own while adding pressure. During the second half of the fight Algieri seemed to be badly faded as Gonzalez poured on even more pressure.
Even on seemingly dead legs, Algieri was able to get himself out of harms way for much of the contest but it was evident that the former champion could have done more during the final few rounds.
“I thought he looked great during the first half of the fight,” said Algieri’s trainer Andre Rozier after the fight. “He looked really good. He was doing everything that we wanted him to do. I think during the second half that he was bothered by the head butt more than anything. Chris is always in great shape so I don’t think fatigue was a factor.”
The scorecards were a combination of wide and narrow as one judge scored the contest 98-92, while another had it scored similarly 97-93. The third judge had it much closer, giving Algieri the nod 96-94.
Algieri’s result tonight was a mixed bag. He boxed great early on but just couldn’t keep up his level of activity throughout the contest. He still has plenty of work to do in order to get back to championship level. Algieri did get the win tonight but expect him to get back to work with trainer Andre Rozier.
“You have to remember that he had been out of the ring for over two years,” said Rozier. “It’s going to take some time to get back into the swing of things.”
There have been talks of Algieri possibly being in line to face WBO champion Maurice Hooker sometime this year.
How does Rozier feel about this considering his performance tonight?
“I think in about two more fights we will be ready to rock and roll,” said Rozier. “He’s only going to continue to look better and better so two more fights and we’ll be ready for anyone.”
This is now back-to-back wins for Algieri so he is currently on the right track. He will need to keep rounding into form as the year goes on if he hopes to get that title shot that he is longing for.
