Manny Pacquiao could find it a bit difficult to score a win over Chris Algieri on Nov. 22 in Macau China as the match won’t be as easy as his fight against the towering Antonio Margarito in 2010, when he bagged his historic eighth division world title.
Algieri, who is unbeaten in 20 pro fights and a bit shorter and smaller than Margarito, could give the Filipino star a difficult time in the ring because of his sheer size and reach. Pacquiao humiliated the giant Mexican-American in what is now considered as one of his best fights ever despite Margarito’s height and reach advantage. Margarito stands 5’11” with reach of 73″ while Algieri is a bit shorter at 5’10” with a reach of 72 inches. Both men are far bigger and taller than Pacquiao who stands 5’6″ with a reach of 67 inches. Margarito is an orthodox fighter who gave the Puerto Rican boxing idol Miguel Cotto his painful first career loss amid allegations that he used illegal hand wraps to gain an advantage over Cotto. But Algieri said it is wrong for some observers to assume that he will just be another Margarito in front of Pacquiao on fight night. ?Margarito was a large guy, but not an athletic guy,? Algieri told Newsday last July following his confirmation as Pacquaio’s next opponent. ?(Margarito is) not a guy who?s going to be moving, pushing, pulling, using his jab, reaching. He?s a straight-forward slugger there to be hit. Manny kills those guys.? “Guys who move, guys who have angles, guys who are stylish boxers, he has trouble with. I don’t think there are a lot of guys who do it better than me in the world right now.” Algieri added. Algieri said his style is different from Margarito, who is a straight-forward slugger. He added that Margarito’s style is tailor-made for Pacquiao. Seemingly Algieri is aware of Pacquiao’s speed and power and since he moves a lot faster than Margarito, he would be out of Pacquiao’s range if he makes the right moves. Another reason the Algieri fight will be a bit difficult for Pacquiao is the fact that the unbeaten American is very mobile in the ring, as shown in his previous fights, and Pacquiao sometimes gets frustrated with mobile fighters like Timothy Bradley.
Physical Size Advantage: Margarito Oliver Iglesias Like this image Still, Pacquiao has the skill and experience to beat Algieri, who has only 20 fights to his credit since switching from kick boxing to real boxing. Experienced and retired fighters though say that Algieri won’t last the distance with Pacquiao come fight night. They know that their skills and experiences are miles apart, noting that Algieri isn’t yet in the same level with Pacquiao. Former IBF welterweight titlist Randall Bailey said the upcoming fight is made for Pacquiao saying that Algieri is no Antonio Margarito nor Timothy Bradley. “It’s just a fight for Pacquiao. The guy has limited skills,” said the 39-year-old Bailey, who previously held world titles at 140 and 147 pounds, of Algieri. “He’s not in the same level and does not belong in the same ring.” Knowing Pacquiao’s vast experience and skill as a fighter and considering the inequity in their career records, there is very little doubt the fight will be another easy win for the eight-division champion.
