Fight won’t go the distance

MACAU—Tipping the scales at 144.4 pounds during the weigh-in on the eve of his fight with eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao, Chris Algieri tried to lower his weight some more by taking off his trunks.

Of course, nobody saw him stark naked even if he was facing the huge, gawking crowd at Cotai Arena of The Venetian Macao.

“You won’t see anything if you’re fronting him because his sensitive parts were covered by a towel. But if you’re situated on either side, it’s possible that you might accidentally see something that’s not for public consumption,” said Philboxing’s Dong Secuya at breakfast after the weigh-in.

Pacquiao and Algieri proceeded to their respective suites after the weigh-in for last-minute interviews with select members of the media.

After lunch, I got an invitation from Team Pacquiao’s Joe Ramos to proceed to Manny’s penthouse suite at the 38th floor for a final church service before the fight the following day.

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The day before, during a round-table interview, Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said the Pacman will not be going for a knockout.

“Manny’s a realist. He doesn’t care for a knockout. The knockout will come back when he returns to 140,” Roach said.

However, international referee and judge Danrex Tapdasan, a lawyer, told me the exact opposite.

He said neither Roach nor Manny may admit it to the press but a knockout is exactly what the duo will be aiming for.

“Manny needs a knockout. He needs it badly,” the ring official said.

Ironically, it was Algieri who boldly predicted that he would knock out the Pacman.

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Contrary to what people think, Roach said this is not going to be an easy fight for Pacquiao.

“Chris is young; he has the heart and the balls, but he cannot knock out Manny because he has no punching power.”

So what exactly does he think will happen today at Cotai Arena, I asked Tapdasan.

Everybody here in Macau is saying that the fight will not last the distance.

Tapdasan agrees with everybody.

He too foresees a short fight today between the veteran, the very experienced Pacquiao and the fledgling Algieri who, he predicts, will be overwhelmed by all the attention this fight is getting.

We haven’t gone out yet to check the ticket sales and the betting odds. One thing we can tell though, everything seems to be awfully quiet and lonely at the Algieri camp.

Roach has said that Algieri’s main weapon is his jab, adding that he’s pretty sure that Pacquiao can take this away from him.

If the odds weigh heavily against Algieri, why did he accept this fight in the first place?

“Algieri will be fighting for the biggest title in the world. He will be doing it for the money,” Roach said.

Tapdasan predicted on the eve of the Clash in Cotai II that the fight will not go past six rounds.

That, he said, is an objective forecast.