Disclaimer: I am not for Amir Khan vs. Chris Algieri. So let me give you the bad news first: this is a terrible matchup. Here’s the good news: it’s so terrible that it will be fun to watch.
To be honest, the greatest thing about this fight is that there will be a women’s boxing match featured on the undercard between Brooklyn native Heather “the Heat” Hardy and Noemi “La Rebelde” Bosques.
I’m going to give Khan-Algieri a chance, to be fair, even though this fight does nothing to help Khan’s pipe dream of fighting Mayweather (I repeat, Khan, this doesn’t not help your chances); even though I still don’t understand how Algieri went from Friday Night Fights to a pay-per-view fight with Pacquiao, losing that fight, to now fighting Khan in roughly a year.
It’s pretty obvious that the boxing powers that be are trying to hype Algieri up to be a “name” in boxing that he isn’t. They tried to make us believe he could beat Pacquiao (ha!), and it didn’t work. Now we’re supposed to be on the edge of our seats for “Avocado” Algieri’s epic battle with “King” Khan.
The prediction for this fight might be fairly obvious but I’m still going to let the suspense kill you. Let’s take a look at Khan and Algieri’s profiles to see who they are and what we can expect to see this Friday.
Tale of the Tape
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According to the tape, Amir Khan vs. Chris Algieri is a close match, at least physically.
With only three years between the two fighters, Algieri stacks up as the taller man with just a one-inch reach advantage. It’s not a serious advantage that could really keep Khan away from him but it’s enough to help him gage his distance and be effective with the jab.
Khan’s shorter reach may mean he has more success than Algieri working on the inside with short, crisp punches.
Each man is an orthodox fighter. This means neither Khan nor Algieri will be in an unfamiliar situation facing each other. Khan noticeably has more experience than Algieri, having boxed nearly 200 rounds compared to Algieri’s 134.
Also, Khan has a much higher knockout percentage (57.58%) than Algieri. This isn’t too surprising considering that Algieri is not known for his power; he only boasts a 38.1% knockout percentage.
Main Storylines
Most of us aren’t buying into this fight, but Amir Khan still wants to convince us we’ll have the time of our lives and owe it all to him: “Fans know that they get their money’s worth when they watch me. I mean it’s all fireworks,” Khan says in a SpikeTV promo video, with a smirk that reflects a mix of arrogance and delusion.
Even though the fight is on Chris Algieri’s turf, Khan believes he’ll have a lot of fans too. He goes on to say, “It’s going to be an electrical fight because I’m going to show the New York fans what they’ve been missing.”
He does speak on renowned trainer Virgil Hunter and what it’s like working with him. Much of Khan’s success as of late can be attributed to training with Hunter, who is also trainer to pound-for-pound champion Andre Ward.
“He’s one of the best trainers in the world, but when he’s at the boxing gym there’s no laughing and joking. He’s very serious at what he does. You have to listen to him; you have to take everything seriously. He’ll tell me what to do, he’ll give me a gameplan to stick to in the fight, which I will stick to and it’ll make the fight easier. He’s always telling me off at times, but that’s only because he wants me to win.”
Interestingly, Chris Algieri has trained under new leadership for this fight by working with former professional fighter, John David Jackson. On changing trainers Algieri says, “It shows that I’m taking this sport very seriously…I’ve revamped things and added experience, and now we’re going to go out and test it at the highest level. I’m not tiptoeing into it.”
Tiptoeing into it, especially after that terrible loss to Manny Pacquiao, may actually have been a good idea, new trainer or not. Algieri owns up to his awful performance against Pacquiao, and then goes on to say, “I like to challenge myself and this is a great opportunity. I’m ready for this, I will challenge anybody in the Welterweight division.” Famous last words.
The real question is…will Jackson let Algieri out of the cage?
Strengths
Amir Khan
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Amir Khan has enough strengths to go in this fight with confidence. Khan is an exceptional athlete, a quality to which his speed, agility, and cat-like reflexes can be attributed.
Thanks to his trainer, Virgil Hunter, Khan is a much more refined fighter these days. Hunter has helped Khan identify his strengths, capitalize off them in the ring, and work smarter; he is the brain behind the fighter.
Now, Khan will need to stay busy in this fight by being the aggressor and throwing combinations, something he’s fairly good at. Chris Algieri doesn’t pose a huge threat but it would be a shame if Khan lost a decision because he wasn’t doing enough to get ahead on the scorecards.
Khan also needs to have a keen ear and listen to Hunter to make this happen. Algieri is a boxer so he needs to be outboxed. Hunter can see things outside the ring that Khan can’t, and coach him to a victory.
Chris Algieri
Photo by Ed Mulholland
Chris Algieri’s most effective strength in this fight will be his ability to box. Being a boxer is what Algieri is known for; staying busy, moving, and throwing quick combinations is the best chance he has at scoring a win over Khan.
This fight will almost certainly feature a lot of boxing in lieu of fighting, but if Algieri wants to outsmart Amir Khan, he’ll have to step up his boxing game significantly.
One aspect of Algieri’s boxing skill that has helped him score victories over aggressive power punchers (such as Ruslan Provodiknov, though that victory is debatable) is his ability to move around the ring using his legs and head movement.
Also, Algieri can and has been knocked down before. To his credit he has great recovery time, and can pull himself together to get back in the game.
Weaknesses
Amir Khan
Peter Cziborra/Action Images
As a fighter Amir Khan has a few weaknesses, though I don’t imagine they will present much difficulty in this bout. Khan has a lot of heart, probably too much for his own good, and has paid the price for it on several occasions.
Chris Algieri doesn’t pose a threat power-wise, though Khan shouldn’t be so eager to knock Algieri out or to look for the perfect shot. This fight is about points, and not being busy enough could cost him a decision.
Khan has shown that while he’s athletically gifted, he isn’t always the smartest fighter. Because Algieri’s strength is boxing, I think in this fight we’re going to see how smart Amir Khan is. We’re also going to see how Khan deals with another fighter’s movement.
I imagine this is the only experience he can learn from in this fight to help him potentially face Mayweather. Though Hunter provides excellent coaching in the corner, we’ll have to see how well Amir Khan thinks independently when placed in a pure boxing match.
Chris Algieri
Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images
Chris Algieri having zero respectable power is a well-known fact in boxing. You could say it’s his Achilles’ heel. If Algieri also had power, he would probably be further ahead in his career than he is now.
The upside is that he can box. The downside is that it takes more than just being able to box when you face someone who also has boxing skill, speed, power, and aggression. In other words, to earn Amir Khan’s respect, Algieri needs to give him something to think about. He simply can’t accomplish this using his power (or lack thereof).
Khan can be outboxed, but nothing except respectable power and speed will keep him from coming forward. Once Khan feels out the little power Algieri has, he’ll recognize there is no threat and he can take the risks he needs to land shots or knock Algieri out.
Algieri has been able to recover from knockdowns quickly, but one good punch is all it takes to knock him out. Also, Algieri tends to move in roughly the same pattern around the ring. If Khan cuts off the ring effectively, Algieri’s main source of offense and defense will be taken away.
Winner and Why
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Picking Amir Khan is really a no-brainer. He should be able to win by decision easily, or by way of knockout for some extra credit. This fight with Chris Algieri is really just a showcase fight for Khan (to show what, I can’t be sure). But of course, as anyone who has boxed or sparred before, you can always learn something no matter whom you step in the ring with.
Khan is the overwhelming favorite going into the fight, though we can expect to see some good boxing here, even if it’s one-sided. Algieri’s best chance of winning is by staying busy, throwing quick combinations, and moving out the way. Khan knows that this is more of a boxing match than a brawl, so his game plan will likely reflect patience and thoughtful execution of his jab and combinations to outbox Algieri and score the victory.
Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) has definitely done better in making competitive match-ups, but we can’t win ‘em all. One thing they did get right was featuring a women’s boxing bout on their card, which just maybe will make up for the sad match-up that is Khan-Algieri. While this fight won’t have fans on the edge of their seats, take delight in knowing that it is a fight that will happily accommodate bathroom breaks or beer runs.
