Now what?
That’s the question facing Chris Algieri in the aftermath of his disappointing loss to WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao. The Long Island fighter took a meteoric ride from obscurity to boxing’s pinnacle with upset wins over Emanuel Taylor and then Ruslan Provodnikov for the WBO super lightweight belt before suffering six knockdowns in a unanimous decision loss to Pacquiao in mid-November in Macau.Mayweather, Pacquiao trade phone numbers Stallone poses with tourists atop ‘Rocky’ steps Woman: Boxer threatened to kill kids Ali released from hospital after follow-up TV exec: Mayweather wants Pacquiao fight
The trick for Algieri is figuring out how to maintain the altitude he reached without flaming out quickly. He was back in the gym the day after Thanksgiving and even has sparred a couple of times over the past two months while considering a change to his team and plotting his next fight as soon as late March or mid-April.
The bravado Algieri displayed before the Pacquiao fight survived all the knockdowns, but his first loss in 21 pro fights convinced Algieri to seek a new head trainer. Co-trainers Keith Trimble and Tim Lane, who guided his move from kickboxing, remain part of the team, but Algieri confirmed that John David Jackson, who currently works with light-heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev, is a strong contender for the lead job.
“I came to the realization we need more experience as a team,” Algieri said during a visit last week to Stony Brook University, where he toured the children’s hospital at his alma mater. “I can’t be the most experienced guy on the team. At this stage of the game, it’s tough when you don’t have someone who has been there before. Boxing Algieri’s rise from Paramount to Pacquiao
“We got really far with what we had. None of us had even [attended] fights that big, let alone fought in a fight that big. So, it was a learning experience. Manny Pacquiao is a tough job to learn on. Going back and looking over it, I don’t think I don’t belong at that level. I just need to step up certain parts of the team and my game all together. I haven’t lost confidence in my abilities. I believe I’m better than ever.”
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No deal has been reached with Jackson, who is a former middleweight champion and previously worked with such well-known champions as Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley, but Algieri liked what he heard when they met.
“John David Jackson is a phenomenal coach,” Algieri said. “He has worlds of experience as a champion himself and as a trainer of champions. He’s also a student and teacher of the game. We’ve just got to make a final decision and keep moving forward.”
The next step in the ring is up in the air for Algieri, who unexpectedly was stripped of his WBO 140-pound title when he fought for Pacquiao’s 147-pound belt. Promoter Joe DeGuardia said his attempt to negotiate a settlement with the WBO points to a bout with undefeated Terrence Crawford (25-0, 17 KOs), who holds the WBO lightweight title but is moving up to the 140-pound division.
“Algieri’s camp is in negotiations to fight for the vacant title, but they are far apart in terms of money. “We’re looking at a couple different guys to fight Crawford, and Algieri’s team’s price might be a little too high,” said Top Rank vice-president Carl Moretti. “I’d say there’s less than a 50 percent chance. A Provodnikov rematch makes more sense, but he’s negotiating a different fight as well.” Boxing Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri
If Algieri again decides to take short money for a title shot, as he did for Provodnikov, the Crawford bout still could come together, but it might be too soon for a fight of that caliber while undergoing changes within his team.
Algieri frankly admits he used the “star power” of Taylor, Provodnikov and Pacquiao to get his career off the ground last year, but he believes he’s a known commodity now and is less inclined to sell himself short. “The Provodnikov fight came up because no one wanted to fight him,” Algieri said. “I said, ‘I’ll fight him.’
“Who, at 20 fights, is going to say, ‘OK, I’ll fight Pacquiao?’ Me. So, I feel like I’ve proven myself in that sense. Now, I’m going to make the right decision that’s best for Chris Algieri.”
DeGuardia acknowledges the danger posed by Crawford, but noted that Algieri has a size advantage. “I also like the aspect that Crawford is perceived to be a star in the making,” DeGuardia said. “When Chris beat Provodnikov, that’s what got him into the Pacquiao fight. You get that by fighting the biggest challenges. I’d like to keep him at the highest possible level.”
