MANILA, Philippines – Kilala si WBO light welterweight champion Chris Algieri sa kanyang lakas sa boksing, ngunit pagpasok niya sa ring sa Nobyembre ay makikipagsabayan siya ng bilis kay eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao.
Sinabi ng wala pang talong si Algieri kay David Greisman ng boxingscene.com na magugulat ang lahat sa kanyang bilis.
“I think they're gonna be surprised at how fast I am,” wika ng Amerikano na tinawag ang sarilng “master boxer.”
Lumutang ang pangalan ni Algieri matapos niyang pabagsakin ang Rusong si Ruslan Provodnikov kahit dalawang beses siyang bumagsak sa first round.
Sa kanyang laban kontra sa beteranong si Pacquiao, alam niyang kailangan lamang niyang sundin ang kanyang game plan.
“Manny has great footwork. He'll be moving in and out... Speed is obviously a difference. He's not going to be as physically strong as Ruslan. His pressure (game) would be completely different,” paliwanag niya.
“I just need to box. When I box, I'll beat anybody in the world. That's really the game plan, I just need to stick to the game plan and be a master boxer,” dagdag ni Algieri.
Maghaharap ang dalawang boksingero sa catch weight na 144 pounds sa Nobyembre 23 sa Cotai Arena ng The Venetian Resort.
“With Manny, you know what you're getting. We just gotta be as much prepared for this as possible. My team is doing their homework and will figure it out. And I'll be ready to execute.”