Manny Pacquiao’s opponent in November could become the next Oscar De La Hoya if he topples the Filipino legend.
American Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) is set to face Pacman on November 22.
“We have never had, in my time in boxing, anybody like a Chris Algieri,” promoter Bob Arum told the New York Daily News. “This kid is mentally so tough that he’s going to present a real puzzle for Manny.”
“I think with his looks, background, the sky is the limit for him,” added promoter Joe DeGuardia. “If he wins, you’re looking at another Oscar De La Hoya.”
While many believe that Pacquiao will triumph over his larger foe, some do think that Algieri has serious shot at an upset.
“After I beat Manny,” Algieri said, “I'll have a lot more pull and juice in the negotiations.”
“I’m going to set a wicked pace,” Algieri added to the New York Post. “I’m going to box smartly. I going to put pressure and be in his face all night along and I’m going to dominate down the stretch.”
Added Arum, “If he hadn’t beaten Provodnikov the way he did, we wouldn’t be talking about him. He earned his way to the dance. That being said, he’s very, very unique in the sport of boxing because of his education and how he uses his smarts when he performs athletically. Anybody who says the fight between Pacquiao and Algieri will be a blowout doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Algieri is going to present a real puzzle for Manny.”
For his part, Pacquiao isn’t dismissing his competition.
“I’m not taking Algieri lightly,” Pacman told Boxing Scene.
“He’s taller than me and moves around the ring with savvy. That’s why I started my training early.”
Assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez said they’re devising a strategy to counter Algieri’s use of the ropes, as well as his wicked left uppercut. “He’s fast, but not as fast as Timothy Bradley. So he can be an easy target for our boxer,” Fernandez added.
Meanwhile, Arum said recently that the only obstacle to a fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is Mayweather himself.
There’s no longer any issues with money, drug testing, or weight, Arum said. Showtime and HBO are willing to make a deal for the fight.
“The issue of exclusive network deals was the biggest impediment in my mind,” he told the Telegraph. “That is no longer an impediment. We are not an impediment. There’s no drug testing problem, nothing. We are ready to do the fight. There is only now one impediment and he’s been the major impediment to this fight and that’s Floyd Mayweather.”
“I don’t care what he says. He says he'll fight Pacquiao if he signs a promotional agreement with Mayweather Promotions. That’s basically saying you’re not going to fight him. He knows that Pacquiao is under promotional agreement with Top Rank, so he knows that’s impossible. He’s just looking for every excuse not to do the fight,” Arum added
“I promoted the guy for ten years and I know how difficult it was to get him in the ring with any southpaw. When you talk about a southpaw who can move like Manny, that’s not the kind of opponent that Mayweather feels he would do well against. That’s the problem. If Manny agreed to fight right-handed, the fight would be agreed in five minutes.”
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