Chris Algieri will be a heavy underdog heading into his title showdown against Manny Pacquiao on November 22 in Macau, but the reigning WBO light welterweight champion could pose problems to the Filipino boxing icon.
Matchmaker Ron Katz said in an interview with Fighthype that he likes Algieri's chances against Pacquiao, saying that the unbeaten champion could surprise the former pound-for-pound king with his speed along with his height and reach advantage.
Katz also added that Pacquiao is still one of the best fighters in the world today, but he pointed out that the 35-year-old champion is not the same fighter as he was three years ago or before absorbing twin loses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez.
"I love the matchup. I love the style matchup. I think Chris will use his physical advantages and I think his speed is going to surprise Pacquiao," Katz said. "I think Manny is still a very good fighter, there is no doubt about it, but he's not the same Manny from 3 years ago and I really love the matchup."
Katz also played down reports suggesting that they hesitated to take the offer to face Pacquiao, knowing that a loss could bring Algieri's value down significantly. He insisted that an opportunity to face a fighter of Pacquiao's caliber is too good to pass up.
And if Algieri performs the way he did against his title-clinching win against Ruslan Provodnikov on June 14, Katz said that the Huntington, New York native would get more big-money fights in the next several years.
"That's a no-brainer. I mean, there is no higher level," Algieri said of taking the offer to face Pacquiao. "And if he is able to do to Pacquiao what he did to Provodnikov, then forget about it; generations of Algieri's will be set financially."
In a separate interview, Algieri also expressed confidence about his chances against Manny Pacquiao. The 30-year-old champion said that they know what should be done to score an upset against Pacquiao.
"I'm going to be an entirely different fighter when I fight Pacquiao," Algieri said via East Side Boxing. "I'm different every fight and I train specifically for every opponent, so we're going to have a specific game plan for Manny."
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