Boxer Pacquiao confident of beating American opponent Algieri
A rejuvenated Manny Pacquiao will look to make short work of Chris Algieri on Sunday (Nov 20) as he defendd his World Boxing Organisation welterweight belt.
Success means raising his chances of a showdown with Floyd Mayweather.
Right now, Pacquiao is oozing confidence. Surrounded by a 300-plus entourage in Macau, few believe the eight-weight world champion, will be seriously troubled by Algieri.
Algieri, 30, is a capable and likeable former kickboxer from Long Island. The American (20-0) has a master’s degree and wants to be a doctor.
In June, he got up from the canvas twice in the first round to shock Russia’s formidable light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov and take the WBO belt on a split decision.
Now he says he wants to pull off an almighty upset.
Doing so could end the fabled career of 36-year-old Filipino icon Pacquiao, who is a congressman from Sarangani province.
Felling 'Pacman'
The last man to make such a bold prediction was another American, Brandon Rios, at the same venue a year ago.
Rios instead received a lesson in boxing, speed, agility and power from “Pacman”.
Pacquiao, who once described Algieri as just an “okay” fighter, remains dismissive of his challenge.
"I know my opponent is excited to win, but I won’t let that happen," he said at the Venetian Macau venue.
Pacquiao, whose record stands 56-5-2 with 38 KOs, had a questionable build-up, in which he made his professional basketball debut in the Filipino league last month.
But he says he his fight preparations have helped him regain the aggression and power that put away world-class adversaries such as Oscar de La Hoya, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, Ricky Hatton and Shane Mosley in his younger days.
Source: AFP
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