Pacquiao ready to face taller Chris Algieri
Rep. Manny Pacquiao. FILE PHOTO
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – World eight-division boxing champ and Sarangani Representative Manny Pacquiao is ready to face Chris Algieri atop the ring on Nov. 23 if this is what his promoter Bob Arum wants.
“As long as it is OK with Bob Arum, there’s no problem with me. I’m not afraid to face anybody in the ring,” Pacquiao told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone.
Pacquiao said he has always faced opponents with height and reach advantage over him like Algieri.
Pacquiao has won against previous three bigger opponents – Oscar Dela Hoya, Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito. However, Pacquiao said, Algieri, a boxer-counterpuncher, is different compared with Dela Hoya, Cotto and Margarito, who are known sluggers and pressure fighters.
“Aside from being a challenge due to Algieri’s size and fighting style, this is also an opportunity for me to avenge the defeat of my friend and former sparring partner, Ruslan Provodnikov,” Pacquiao said.
Provodnikov lost by split decision against Algieri when they faced each other atop the ring last June 14.
Pacquiao, who watched the Provodnikov-Algieri bout, said he has started devising a strategy how to handle Algieri.
“I’m going to broach this strategy with coach Freddie Roach once our training camp starts,” Pacquiao said.
The Filipino ring icon plans to hold his entire training camp here then fly to Macau, China, a few days before the scheduled bout.
But this plan may change once he is admitted to the Philippine Basketball Association.
KIA Motors, one of the three PBA expansion teams, has hired Pacquiao as its playing coach. Pacquiao had even expressed his interest to join the PBA draft scheduled next month.
The boxer-lawmaker claimed there’s no problem dividing his time as lawmaker, PBA player and boxer.
“It’s a matter of time management. I can do multi-tasking. In fact,
I’ve been doing this already ever since. So, there’s really nothing
new,” Pacquiao said.
Top Rank honcho Bob Arum is reportedly finalizing the details of the Nov. 23 Pacquiao-Algieri fight to be held in Cotai Arena, Venetian Hotel Resort & Casino in Macau, China.
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