Algieri says he’s got power, too

The rap on WBO lightwelterweight champion Chris Algieri is an apparent lack of power, indicated by a low knockout rate in his record of only eight stoppages in 20 fights but he recently promised to shock Manny Pacquiao with his sock when they face off in a 12-round bout at the Venetian Resort in Macau on Nov. 23.

Algieri, 30, has scored only one knockout in his last six fights and that was a result of a cut inflicted on nondescript Wilfredo Acuna who entered the ring with a forgettable 14-12 record a year ago. But despite the inability to put away opponents, Algieri said he has never doubted his power.

“Just because I don’t have a high knockout ratio doesn’t mean that I don’t hit hard,” said the 5-10 Algieri, who towers over Pacquiao by four inches, in an interview by Graham Houston in Boxing Monthly. “If I didn’t hit hard, if I didn’t have the power, Ruslan (Provodnikov) would have run over me. That was the big question going into the fight. A lot of people were saying: ‘Well, how are you going to keep him off you? You don’t have the punching power.’ I looked at them like, ‘You’ll see.’ His head was going backwards at points – I was knocking his head all around, hitting his body, keeping him from doing what he needed to do.”

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Provodnikov was Algieri’s ticket to a $1.5 Million guarantee to battle Pacquiao. The Russian floored Algieri twice in the first round and the lanky New Yorker fought with a swollen right eye from that disastrous start until the end. Algieri impressed the boxing cognoscenti by not only surviving Provodnikov but also scoring a hard-earned split decision to wrest the WBO 140-pound crown. The win catapulted Algieri to instant prominence and landed him the shot at Pacquiao.

Algieri has never fought outside his New York home state. Macau will be a jolting experience for him. It’s not easy to get used to the bright lights of Asia’s gaming capital and the brighter lights hovering over the ring. The crowd will be in Algieri’s head, the pressure of fighting before a global audience will be massive and the fear of getting pounded by Pacquiao will be daunting. But Algieri said he’s not intimidated and even scoffed at speculation that he insisted on the catchweight limit of 144 pounds.

“I wanted the fight at 147 but they actually put it out at 144,” Algieri told Houston. “I asked for 147. The catchweight is entirely on their side. I think they’re afraid of how big and strong I’ll be coming into the ring as a welterweight. I’ve got the height and reach advantage, I’m just the bigger man. We’ll see how that carries over with the punching power and physicality. Only time will tell. I’m not going in there to be enamored by his aura. I’m going there to win another title and beat a legend. I want to be prepared for the best Manny that could possibly be and really that’s all I’m thinking about. I’m thinking about the dominant Manny who has been a cyclone of a boxer. That’s the guy I’m ready for.”

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Pacquiao, 35, will be staking his WBO welterweight belt in the fight. But beyond that, he’s also risking the chance of a lifetime in meeting Floyd Mayweather, Jr. next year. A loss to Algieri will quash plans of arranging a duel between Pacquiao and Mayweather in May or September. Pacquiao can’t afford a slip-up to preserve his marketability as a legitimate, winnable opponent for Mayweather.

If Algieri hasn’t scored a knockout lately, Pacquiao is in the same situation. Pacquiao hasn’t stopped an opponent in his last eight bouts or since halting Miguel Cotto in 2009. The streak of eight fights includes the losses to Juan Manuel Marquez and Timothy Bradley. Pacquiao is coming off back-to-back wins over Brandon Rios and Bradley in a rematch but both victories were on points and neither featured a knockdown. Algieri’s claim is he’s as durable as Rios and Bradley.

While Algieri said he’ll beat Pacquiao, it doesn’t mean no respect. “It’s truly an honor (to fight Pacquiao),” he told Houston. “A future Hall of Famer. There’s no doubt what he’s done in the sport and he’s a huge name. But I’m not focusing on that. I’m focusing on going in there and winning. I’m not happy to be in the ring with him – I’m a competitor, I’m a champion and I want to go in there to win. That really, I think, is the difference between me and some of the other guys who’ve got their shot with Manny or with other big fighters, that they’re getting caught up in the moment. I’m not that guy. I’m going in there to win this fight and I’m going to be as prepared as possible. Expect a great fight either way.”