Algieri is the underdog against Pacquiao in their November 22 showdown for the WBO welterweight championship in Macau, despite his considerable size and reach advantage over the "Pacman."
"The physical advantages are obvious," Algieri told Tha Boxing Voice recently, but he quickly added that this would not be his only edge over Pacquiao.
"The biggest advantage that I don't think they have given a thought about is that I'm an athlete," he said. "I'm different than the other big guys that Manny has fought. I'm an athletic guy, and I am a smart guy in the way that I fight."
"I think of all these things that are going to play a huge role in this fight," he added.
Pacquiao made a name for himself by beating – and indeed dominating – much bigger opponents, including Oscar De La Hoya and Antonio Margarito.
Algieri is confident that his fight against Pacquiao will play out in a different way, however.
"Night and day in terms of styles," he said when comparing himself against the other "big men" that Pacquiao fought. "Those guys stand right in front of you, and will take three punches to land one."
"They have to be set and fight you and look to get into exchanges and scraps. I'm a master boxer. I'm going to be out there using my length and my size and my range and my foot work," he added.
Pacquiao's own trainer, Freddie Roach, had made a comparison between Algieri and De La Hoya in a separate interview with Tha Boxing Voice, and insisted that the former "Golden Boy" was a "much better fighter."
"Algieri is still young and he has a long way to go," said Roach. "They both have good left hands. Oscar was left-handed, and he had a great jab and a great hook."
"This guy (Algieri) has a good jab and his hook is okay, but he has some similarities. They are about the same height," he added.
Pacquiao thoroughly dominated De La Hoya when they fought in December 2008, battering the former world champion for eight rounds and forcing De La Hoya to quit on his stool before the start of the ninth round.
Against Algieri, Pacquiao will defend the WBO welterweight belt that he won from Timothy Bradley last April.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
