On Saturday, November 22, 2014, WBO Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) takes on undefeated WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion, Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) in Macau, China.
The two champions will meet at a 144-pound catch weight with Pacquiao’s Welterweight strap on the line. While Algieri is moving up, his 5’10” frame is impressive and he should enjoy having four extra pounds to fill into.
Though Algieri is technically the bigger man, it is not in his nature or style to impose his will physically against any opponent. Pacquiao will likely be the one walking Algieri down and he will have his work cut out for him trying to get past Algieri’s 72” reach.
Pacquiao’s legendary trainer, Freddie Roach, seems happy with the way camp has started as he tries to prepare another one of his fighters to face Algieri.
“We have had a great training camp so far with the workouts with Manny,” says Roach. “We have had a great start, probably the best start we have ever had and sparring has been going very well.”
Algieri has already bested another Wild Card disciple in Ruslan Provodnikov via a controversial split decision in June of this year, so Roach knows that Pacquiao should not be overlooking the Long Island boxer.
But while Roach has praised Algieri’s jab and footwork, he feels that some of Pacquiao’s sparring partners for this camp are better than the Jr. Welterweight titlist.
“We have some great sparring partners (Viktor) Postol the number one contender in the world, Mike Jones who is a big 147-pounder and Stan Martyniouk, from San Francisco. All the guys are tall and I think some guys are better than our opponent, but we will see very soon.” – Freddie Roach
It remains to be seen whether or not Pacquiao’s outside ventures—such as politics and basketball—play a factor in his preparation.
According to Roach, Pacquiao is said to be focused and has “shown good power… and he has shown the intensity that I want.”
A lot will be expected of Pacquiao come November 22, especially given the fact that Roach claims a drop down in weight will bring back the knockout power his fighter has been lacking in recent fights.
A loss to a much lesser known opponent could spell trouble for Pacquiao if he hopes to land bigger fights in the future–particularly one against Floyd Mayweather.
One thing is for certain, Algieri will come in tip-top shape, ready to move around the ring for 12 rounds. If Pacquiao is not mentally or physically prepared to stalk his opponent for 12 rounds, he could be in for a rude awakening.
