Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri takes place tonight at the Venetian Resort in Macao, China.
The most popular boxer on the planet ? Filipino modern great Manny ?Pacman? Pacquiao ? takes to the ring in the early hours of Sunday morning (3am GMT) to defend his WBO world welterweight title against undefeated American Chris Algieri.
Like Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Saul Alvarez, when six-weight world champion Pacquiao takes to the ring, it is one of the biggest events in boxing, guaranteed to create huge interest, and it could be argued that in terms of excitement generated for his fights, 35-year-old Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KO?s) remains the biggest attraction in the sport.
He takes on the relatively unknown 30-year-old Algieri (20-0, eight KOs), a skilled defensive fighter with an interesting back story. Algieri competed as an amateur in both wrestling and kickboxing and became a professional world champion in the latter posting a 20-0 record before switching to boxing. He also has a degree in sports science.
Without any amateur bouts, Algieri turned professional in 2008, fighting regularly against limited opposition. Tall for a light welter at 5?10??, Algieri proved to be an excellent defensive fighter, though not blessed with one-punch KO power. Handsome, affable and articulate, Algieri signed with veteran promoter Bob Arum, and after 18 straight wins, took on highly regarded fellow prospect Emanuel Taylor and won a unanimous ten-round decision, a result that earned him a world ranking.
Algieri came to the fore via his upset 12-round split decision win over Russian brawler Ruslan Provodnikov in June, a win that netted Algieri the WBO light welterweight title. It was a controversial decision; Algieri was floored twice and had to fight off the back foot throughout against the aggressive, face-first Provodnikov, and many fans thought the Russian had done enough to win. Provodnikov lost to Tim Bradley in 2013?s Fight of the Year, and was being marketed as a major star, so the loss to Algieri was seen as a big upset.
Chris Algieri (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
The fight proved two things, that despite his looks Algieri is as tough as they come, climbing off the canvas twice in the first round, then fighting the majority of the bout with a grotesquely swollen left eye. It also proved that he can cut it at world level, and fight flat out for twelve rounds, something he will need to do again if he hopes to win his next bout.
Manny Pacquiao has competed at every weight from light flyweight to junior middleweight, and he has won five legitimate world titles along way. In an incredible career he has defeated fighters of the caliber of Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Juan Manuel Marquez, Oscar De La Hoya, Miguel Cotto, Ricky Hatton, Antonio Margarito, Shane Mosley and Timothy Bradley.
Manny Pacquiao (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
While Floyd Mayweather consistently does higher PPV figures for his fights, the unbeaten American actively courts controversy both inside and outside the ring, and arguably has more detractors than supporters. As a result, a great deal of the people who pay to watch his fights on Showtime do so in the hope of seeing him lose for the first time, and with his ultra-defensive, safety first style, Mayweather?s bouts rarely make for an exciting spectacle.
The vast majority of fans who by pay-per-view to watch a fight featuring Miguel Cotto, Saul Alvarez or Manny Pacquiao do so for the same reason they watched fights involving Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson and Oscar De La Hoya ? because of the excitement those fighters brought to the ring.
In his most recent fight, Pacquiao avenged his 2012 ?loss? to Timothy Bradley with a hard-fought, exciting but unanimous twelve round decision in April. It was Pacquiao?s second straight win following his back-to-back defeats in 2012 against Bradley and long-time nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez, who knocked him out spectacularly in six rounds.
So devastating was that loss to an opponent he had previously beaten twice, many believed Pacquiao would either retire or be a spent force if he continued. But after almost a year away from the ring, he returned last November in Macao, China and delivered a boxing master-class, scoring a virtual shutout over hard-punching, durable former WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios.
Manny Pacquiao and Freddie Roach (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
While he looked as impressive as ever against Rios, the acid test would come against one of the premier fighters in the welterweight division. While Bradley?s victory over Pacquiao was widely regarded as one of the most shocking robberies in boxing history, the American proved himself in his subsequent all-out war against Ruslan Provodnikov, and followed that up with a points victory over Pacquiao?s conqueror Juan Manuel Marquez.
The undefeated Bradley was 31-0 going into the Pacquiao rematch, and at 31 right at the peak of his powers. Fighting far more aggressively than in their first contest, Bradley looked to exchange with Pacquiao but was consistently beaten to the punch by an opponent who despite his advancing years and hard career still displays blindingly fast hands and astonishing reflexes.
Chris Algieri (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Pacquiao avoided the bulk of Bradley?s punches and absorbed others with little effect. While his own punches didn?t seem as devastating as in years gone by, he still appeared to have Bradley in serious trouble on several occasions.
Based on the evidence of Pacquiao?s most recent performance against Bradley, and Algieri?s ?life-and-death? struggle against Provodnikov, the Filipino would seem to have far too much for the American, despite giving away three inches in height, five in reach and five years in age. The question is can Pacquiao record his first stoppage victory since his 12th round TKO of Miguel Cotto in 2009, or will Algieri be able to slip and slide and back-pedal enough to stay out of trouble and last the distance?
Look for Algieri to employ his skills as both a defensive boxer and a grappler to attempt to avoid heavy punishment and last the distance. If he is as focused as he claims to be, Pacquiao wins this fight as he pleases, and with one eye on a potential Super-Fight with Floyd Mayweather next year, will look to make a statement by going all-out for a KO, which he will get by round seven.
Best bet – Manny Pacquiao to win by KO or TKO in seven rounds (12/1 bet365)
