Was Algieri a legit opponent for Pacquio?
When Chris Algieri (20W-1L-8KO’s) was first announced as Manny Pacquio’s (57W-5L-38KO’s) next opponent boxing fans from all over screamed BS and wanted a legit reason for the matchup with the unknown pugilist. The only answer given was that he had just defeated Ruslan Provodnikov for the WBO world light welterweight title. Over the course of the fight build up, some people slowly began to believe in Algieri’s chances due to his background story and the resiliency he showed against Provodnikov; he was knocked down twice in the first round but go off the mat to pull out a split decision. So was Algieri a legit challenge or was this a padded fight for Pac to get another belt/win to build up the persona that he is still the killer Pac that blazed division on his way to the welterweight division?
When I first heard about the fight I immediately did a little research on Algieri and I seen nothing in his past that warranted a fight against one of the best fighters of this era, but I did take into consideration that he did just withstand the hard hitting Provodnikov.
That being said, I knew Algieri had a chance in the ring against the aging Pacquio if he dug deep and had a crisp game plan, but couldn’t wrap my mind around him getting a W. I can see why Algieri got the nod for this fight but Pacquio and his corner knew it was a beautiful fight that fell in their lap where there was little to no threat and an already made justification for the matchup. Pacquio is looking to cash out in the near future and it won’t happen if he loses beforehand.
Talks of a Pacquio vs Floyd fight has reemerged and could be the reason Pacquio took on such a novice opponent, but it remains to be seen if this scheme plays out in his favor.
BY THE WAY:
Pacquio dominated Algieri for 12 rounds scoring 6 knockdowns on his way to a unanimous decision. Algieri didn’t have a chance; he was outgunned and was lucky that he didn’t go out on his shield, which would have happened if this was the Pacquio that captivated his fans with blazing speed and brutal knockouts.
