MANILA, Philippines - It’s all up to Chris Algieri if he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao or not.
As it is, the 30-year-old American with Italian and Argentinian roots is the top candidate to face Pacquiao on Nov. 23 at the Venetian Hotel in Macau.
Top Rank chief Bob Arum has already presented a formal offer to the undefeated Algieri, who became the WBO junior welterweight champion with a stunning win over Ruslan Provodnikov last month.
Reports said Algieri was given an offer of seven digits, and it’s now up to the boxer residing in New York to take it or leave it.
Arum is now in talks with Algieri’s handlers, Joe Deguardia and Artie Pelullo. The New York Daily said a decision may come this week.
If Algieri agrees to fight Pacquiao, it means that he will have to move up in weight to challenge the Filipino for his WBO welterweight title.
if he turns it down, Arum is looking at Mike Alvarado and Luis Carlos Abregu as the other candidates.
Pacquiao won the 147 lb belt with a convincing win over previously undefeated American Tim Bradley in Las Vegas last April, and before that defeated Brandon Rios in Macau.
Pacquiao lost two fights in 2012, one to Bradley and then to Juan Manuel Marquez, but is now back in his lofty position as one of the hottest names in the sport.
There’s no bigger fight for Algieri than Pacquiao.
“It’s the best possible fight out there for Chris. He did great in the Ruslan fight and he did great there, but fighting Pacquiao puts him on a completely different level and a win against Pacquiao makes him a star, a legitimate and true star,” DeGuardia told the New York Daily.
“The fight is there for Chris,” he added.
Before taking up boxing, Algieri was into Chinese karate (kenpo), wrestling and kickboxing. He is also one of the very few boxers with a solid educational background.
He carrries a bachelor’s degree in healthcare science from Stony Brook University and a master’s from the New York Institute of Technology, and is also a clinical nutritionist.
Arum said this counts heavily in Algieri’s favor.
“I’m intrigued by the fact that Algieri is a college kid who is very articulate and is somebody who is a credit to the sport. I think that’s more important to me than anything else,” Arum told Ring TV.
“With Algieri, you don’t see many college graduates in professional boxing, particularly those who are able to become a champion. So, that alone, would make Algieri pretty unique,” Arum added.