Home News Manny Pacquiao trying to believe Algieri is most dangerous opponent of career

Manny Pacquiao trying to believe Algieri is most dangerous opponent of career

Credit: Chris Farina - Top Rank

Manny Pacquiao believes that Chris Algieri is the most dangerous opponent of his career. At least that’s what Freddie Roach has convinced him of during training, which is important, because it shows that Pacquiao has been taking his training seriously. Viewing Algieri as Pacquiao’s most dangerous opponent, however, is nothing that we can take seriously.

“Chris Algieri poses many puzzles for me to solve. In terms of his height and reach, only Antonio Margarito surpasses him in the scope of opponents I have faced. Algieri is also the most scientific, fluid and fittest fighter I have ever opposed.

“All of those factors, plus he is five years younger than me, make him the most dangerous opponent of my career.

“To me, boxing is a lot like chess. You don’t just move a piece and wait for your opponent to respond, you have to see the board and think 10 to 12 moves ahead and anticipate the variables your opponent may counter with. Algieri does that and he does that very well.

“If you look at his recent fights – against Mike Arnaoutis, Emanuel Taylor and Ruslan Provodnikov – each victory for him was considered an upset.

“Yet Algieri never considered himself an underdog, he went into each fight confident and with the right game plan and no matter what happened in the ring, he was disciplined enough to stay with that game plan. And it worked. He outfought them and out-thought them.

“Algieri’s reach and height will require me to work on closing the distance with him in the ring and I will need my speed more than ever to be able to score damaging blows to him while avoiding his own counters.

“I watched him fight Provodnikov and he fought the perfect fight against him. But I do not intend to fight Algieri’s fight. I intend on fighting my fight and more importantly, making him fight my fight.”

Once again the odds are heavily stacked against the former world champion kickboxer Algieri but overcoming adversity is something which he thrives on and puts down to his mental ability.

“My 10th pro bout against Julius Edmonds I went into the fight with a sore right hand and then broke my left hand in the second round. Finding a way to win has always been a major part of my style and strategy.

“I didn’t even tell my coaches I was injured until after the fight. I finished the fight with a fourth round knockout and that truly was one of the biggest obstacles if not the biggest I have ever had to overcome.

“And let’s not forget my previous fight against Ruslan Provodnikov. I made a mistake in the first round and I paid for it. I was forced to pay the price and fight the remainder of the fight with a badly swollen eye. But, I still found a way to win.

“Sticking to the game plan, and staying focused in times of adversity, that’s what separates me from other fighters. My mental make-up and my mental strength has always been the difference in my fights, and that’s what will propel me to victory against Pacquiao.”