Unbeaten champ joins Manny lottery

MANILA, Philippines - From out of nowhere, a clinical nutritionist with a Master’s degree has emerged from a recent career-defining test to barge into the sweepstakes as a hot pick for Manny Pacquiao’s opponent in the WBO welterweight champion’s next fight tentatively on Nov. 23 in Macau.

Chris Algieri, 30, wrested the WBO lightwelterweight crown from Russia’s Ruslan Provodnikov via a split 12-round decision in New York last June 14 and became a leading candidate in the Pacquiao lottery. Algieri, who is of Italian and Argentinian descent, survived two knockdowns and battled back from a 10-7 disadvantage on points in the first round to lift his record to 20-0, with 8 KOs. He brushed off a shut right eye in the last two rounds to gain the nod of two of the three judges.

It’s not often that a professional boxer has a Master’s degree. Algieri earned his in Health Care Science at the New York Institute of Technology. The Klitschko brothers Vitali and Wladimir boast doctorate degrees in Sports Science from Kiev University in Ukraine. Vitali, recognized as the WBC heavyweight champion emeritus, is now Mayor of Kiev while Wladimir is the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight ruler. John Duplessis, who lost to Julio Cesar Chavez in a WBC/IBF lightwelterweight title bout in 1991, has a Master’s degree in psychology from Southern University in New Orleans. Duplessis, 47, was a prizefighter from 1984 to 1995.

Algieri’s resume shows he’s no ordinary champion. He has a background in Chinese Kenpo, full-contact kickboxing and wrestling. Algieri was introduced to the martial arts by Robert Mauro at the age of 10. When he was 19, Algieri decided to turn pro as a kickboxer and eventually won the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) welterweight and World Kickboxing Association superwelterweight crowns. Vitali Klitschko was also a former ISKA champion in the superheavyweight division.

After compiling a 20-0 record as a world kickboxing champion, Algieri turned to professional boxing in 2008. He was signed up by promoter Joe DeGuardia of Star Boxing and is trained by Keith Trimble and Tim (Bring the Pain) Lane. Provodnikov and Mike Arnaoutis are the only high-profile opponents in Algieri’s record. Six of Algieri’s victims had more losses than wins when they engaged. Arnaoutis, a former USBA lightwelterweight titlist, had lost to Victor Ortiz, Delvin Rodriguez and Danny Garcia before facing Algieri.

What brought Algieri to the spotlight was his courageous showing against Provodnikov. He went down from a left hook in the first round and his right eye began to swell. In that same round, Algieri took another mandatory eight-count as he purposely took a knee to gather himself. He came back to outwork and outpace the Russian, winning eight of the last 11 rounds on two judges’ scorecards. In the end, the punch stats showed Algieri threw more, 993-776 and landed more, 288-205. Algieri took the wind out of Provodnikov’s sails by boxing from a distance, making him miss and tiring him out. He fought the Russian with one eye in the last two rounds and still, controlled the action in the ring.

Algieri’s 72-inch reach gives him a distinct advantage in long-range jabbing and his ability to move makes him an elusive target. If ever Algieri battles Pacquiao, he will no doubt use his boxing skills to try to outmaneuver the Filipino icon. “We haven’t seen that style with Manny so that’s intriguing because you’re talking about a guy who is on the outside and has a long jab and a long reach,” said Top Rank vice president of boxing operations Carl Moretti quoted by writer Greg Logan of Newsday. “That’s one of the things Manny will speak with Freddie (Roach) about but make no mistake, he’s definitely in consideration.”

Moretti confirmed that Algieri is on the list of candidates as Pacquiao’s next opponent. Also a candidate is Juan Manuel Marquez who recently beat Mike Alvarado for the WBO International welterweight belt. Marquez will knock himself out of contention if he insists on an astronomical paycheck. Marquez has reportedly set a price of $20 million for a fifth encounter with Pacquiao. The word is Pacquiao’s next opponent will be known early next month.

Moretti said Algieri’s performance against Provodnikov is a convincing argument to make him a hot candidate. “The key with Algieri is how he got up from two knockdowns and overcame the shut eye,” Moretti said. “It added to the drama. His performance and his story put him in the sweepstakes of getting a Pacquiao fight in November.”

Algieri said he deserves an appointment with Pacquiao and considers the chances of landing the fight “very realistic.” “How realistic was it for me to win over Provodnikov?” he said quoted by Brian Campbell. “These are all the things that if you would have asked people a couple of months ago, they would have said the same thing about me getting the Ruslan fight. Well, I ended up getting it and I ended up winning it so why not get me the Pacquiao fight and see if I can do it again?”

Algieri, who stands 5-10, said he’ll fight Pacquiao either at 140 or 147. Whatever Pacquiao decides is fine with him. DeGuardia said he is now in talks with Top Rank, impressed that Algieri’s win over Provodnikov gained the third highest boxing cable rating this year. It’s an advantage that Algieri is from New York, a major pay-per-view market.