Pacquiao's latest win: Shellacking of highest order

To fight analysts, Manny Pacquiao proved how vastly superior he was in terms of experience, punching power and boxing prowess compared to Chris Algieri.

ESPN’s Dan Rafael described Algieri’s whipping as a “shellacking of the highest order” as the Filipino fighter sent the American tumbling to the canvass for a total of six times.

But Rafael considered Pacquiao’s failure to get a knockout win as forgivable considering the beating he dealt on Algieri.

“The 35-year-old southpaw, who is still speedy and offensive-minded, did as he pleased other than get a knockout,” the boxing pundit said in ESPN.com.

Rafael said Algieri’s much-hyped left jab looked meaningless in front of Pacquiao who unloaded a variety of attacks, including the left straight that nearly flattened out the New York fighter in the ninth round.

“It was a shellacking of the highest order as Pacquiao won his third fight in a row (second overall in Macau) since the stunning knockout loss to rival Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth fight in December 2012,” he said.

RingTV’s Doug Fischer, for his part, admitted that he was impressed to see Pacquiao outclass younger and very athletic fighters like Algieri and Tim Bradley.

He said both fighters were undefeated and were already battle-tested before they lost to Pacquiao.

“Bradley and Algieri were athletic, undefeated beltholders (with a combined record of 51-0) who were battle-tested and in their primes when Pacquiao faced them. And at 35, after more than 60 pro bouts and almost 20 years in the game, he handled them. For the record: I’m impressed,” said Fischer.

He said he also stopped scoring the bout after seeing the American tumbling to the canvass numerous times.

“Chris maybe won one round (the fifth), maybe. I stopped scoring fight after the two knockdowns in Round 6. What was the point?” said Fischer.

He added that Pacquiao’s ring generalship showed that he is already at par with Floyd Mayweather Jr., Andre Ward and Vladimir Klitschko.

“The only difference is that Pacquiao doesn’t control a fight by holding on the inside; he does it with his footwork and angles,” he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao landed 121 more punches than Algieri

Not only did Manny Pacquiao topple Chris Algieri six times, he also outworked Long Island’s favorite son by more than 120 punches.

Compubox stats showed that Pacquiao was the busier fighter during his WBO welterweight title defense against Algieri in Macau.

Pacquiao threw a total of 669 punches, of which 229 landed. Algieri, for his part, only landed 108 of his 469 punches. This means, the Filipino connected 121 more punches than his American counterpart.

Algieri is known as a volume puncher due to his boxing-counterpunching style. He averaged 87.9 punches per round in his last four bouts prior the Pacquiao fight.

During his junior welterweight clash against Ruslan Provodnikov last June, he connected 288 out of 993 punches. Nearly half of those were jabs that he used to maintain his distance against the Russian brawler.

In comparison, Provodnikov threw 776 punches and connected only 205, most of which were power punches.

But Algieri’s output noticeably went down when he went on full defensive mode against Pacquiao.

Pacquiao chased him all throughout the fight and knocked him down six times.

"I was disappointed by Algieri. All he did was run,” Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach said in Yahoo! Sports. “He didn't show the heart or the [expletive] he did versus Ruslan Provodnikov."

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Roach blasts Algieri for running

Freddie Roach was displeased that they saw a different Chris Algieri on Sunday.

The coach knew Algieri will try to hit and run against Manny Pacquiao just like he did against Ruslan Provodnikov, but wasn't expecting the American to run all throughout the fight.

"I was disappointed by Algieri. All he did was run. He didn't show the heart or the [expletive] he did versus Ruslan Provodnikov," Roach told Yahoo! Sports.

Nevertheless, Roach said they proved a point against the New York-based boxer, who was branded as a “master boxer” by his camp.

"The master boxer was given a master class by Professor Pacquiao," Roach said.

Pacquiao did chase Algieri, which resulted in six terrific knockdowns -- more than what Floyd Mayweather Jr. had in the past 10 years.

The eight-division boxing champion first knocked down Algieri via a three-punch combo in the second round, which was followed by two more in the sixth round. Pacquiao struck again with two knockdowns in the ninth and again in the 10th.

"Manny is the best in the world at fighting like Manny Pacquiao. That's really what it is. His style, he has so much experience. He's perfected fighting like Manny Pacquiao,” said Algieri, who suffered his first career defeat in 21 fights.

Prior the bout, Roach joked that he told his pupil not to hurt Algieri too much as it might scare away Mayweather.

“He’s scared of us now, and he’s going to be more scared of us after we destroy this guy. Mayweather, you know, show some balls and step up to the plate,” he said in ESPN.com.

He said Pacquiao wanted the Mayweather fight "so badly" he’s talking about it all the time.

“After seeing Floyd’s last couple fights, he wants him even more. He just wants to prove he’s the best fighter in the world, and he’ll take that zero and give [Floyd] his first one,” said Roach.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao floors Algieri 6 times en route to easy win

Filipino legend Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao put together a truly dominant display as he demolished American challenger Chris Algieri, registering six knockdowns en route to a unanimous decision victory Sunday morning at the Cotai Arena in Macau.

Against a taller fighter with solid boxing skills, Pacquiao showed that he still had the explosiveness, punching power and speed that once made him the top pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

The "Pacman" was never seriously challenged by Algieri, shrugging off the American's sporadic punches and putting together multi-punch combinations that caused Algieri's left eye to swell and wobbled his knees.

Pacquiao clearly wanted to end a knockout drought that stretches all the way back to 2009, but Algieri managed to stay standing until the final bell. The Filipino boxer nevertheless won in overwhelming fashion, with judges scoring the bout 119-103, 119-103, and 120-102.

"Tonight, I did my best," a beaming Pacquiao said after the fight. "I am satisfied with my performance tonight. I came to fight, I did my best, and that was enough."

Pacquiao hiked his professional record to 57 wins with five losses and two draws, and has now won three consecutive fights in convincing fashion since losing back-to-back bouts to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012.

Algieri, for his part, lost for the first time in 21 professional fights.

Six knockdowns
Pacquiao floored Algieri for the first time in the second round, although it was a contentious call as Algieri claimed he slipped.

Algieri repeatedly tried to dodge and duck Pacquiao's punches in the first four rounds, but the Filipino icon still found his mark.

"I knew he was gonna come on strong," Algieri said after the fight. "But Manny is the best in the world at fighting like Manny Pacquiao. That's really what it is."

Pacquiao wobbled Algieri in the sixth round with a huge left hand, and a flurry of punches put the American on the canvas again. Algieri beat the count but went down for the second time in the sixth round, although he once more argued that it was a slip.

Pacquiao continued to dominate the fight in the middle rounds, landing his left hand with regularity and connecting on combinations.

Algieri was more active in the ninth round, but paid for it when Pacquiao connected on a vicious left cross that sent the American tumbling to the mat once more. Algieri again beat the count, but was clearly on wobbly legs and had to hold on to Pacquiao while the Filipino was going for the kill.

Because of that, the referee called another knockdown on Algieri, and Pacquiao visibly tried to end the fight as he swarmed Algieri with punches from all angles, but the American managed to survive.

Algieri went down for the sixth time in the 10th round, but danced and dodged away from danger the rest of the way and managed to survive until the final bell.

"I was looking for a knockout, but he's fast," Pacquiao said. "He was moving, and it's hard to get careless and overconfident."

One legitimate knockdown

Algieri, however, claimed that the only "legitimate knockdown" was the one that occurred in the ninth round, when Pacquiao's left hook stunned him.

"I thought that it was my best round of the fight at that point," he said, adding that he wanted to go for a left hook of his own only to be shocked by Pacquiao's faster punch.

"That was the only shot that hurt me, but I had my legs pretty good when I got up," Algieri claimed.

Algieri's height and reach advantage, which was seen to be his biggest physical advantages entering the fight, proved to be of little use against Pacquiao who was able to solve the problem by the second round.

But Algieri said he still stuck to his game plan, which was to make it to the second half of the fight without incurring too much damage.

"We were looking to set up the pace (in the later rounds) and land shots that would hurt him… We were looking to put some damage on the guy," said Algieri.

But by the eighth round, Pacquiao was in complete control of the encounter and was simply shrugging off Algieri's punches.

Algieri said Pacquiao's fighting style was simply unique.

"He's perfected fighting like Manny Pacquiao. It's not so much the punching power, but its how he mixes the punches together. He's the best in the world at fighting like Manny Pacquiao, and it's a very, very unique style," he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao relaxed as Algieri has weighty problem

MACAU - Manny Pacquiao weighed in at 143.8lb Saturday for his welterweight world title defence, but his opponent Chris Algieri had trouble on the scales ahead of Sunday's fight.

Undefeated American Algieri could not make the catchweight limit of 144lb and was still 0.20lb over after a second attempt despite stripping down to his bare essentials at the Saturday morning weigh-in (Friday night in the US) at the Venetian Macau's Cotai Arena.

Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) was given two hours to sweat off the remaining weight and came back for a third attempt which saw him finally go under at 143.6lb.

Despite the hiccup, which would have thrown Algieri's final preparations for Sunday's fight slightly behind schedule, the former kickboxer from Long Island predicted he would win.

"I did all the hard work I needed to do," said Algieri. "I know I can count on my skills to do it. This is dream come true and I'm ready to rock."

Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) has been relaxed and confident all week in Macau. The Filipino eight-weight world champion has been impressing all who have watched him train with the intensity and power he has shown in his workouts.

"I've been preparing like the early days in my career," said Pacquiao at the weigh-in. "I want to get back the hungriness and the aggressiveness that I had when I was young."

Earlier this week Pacquiao had said he enjoyed fighting unbeaten boxers, such as Algieri, because he liked to teach them what it is like to lose. But on Saturday the Sarangani province congressman was more diplomatic.

"I like to fight undefeated fighters like Algieri because it's an honour to be in a fight like that," Pacquiao said.

Before Pacquiao and Algieri square off for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title at around noon local time (0400GMT) Chinese double Olympic gold medallist flyweight Zou Shiming (5-0, 1 KO) will take on Thailand's Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym (27-0, 12 KOs) in a 12-round final eliminator for a world title shot.

Kwanpichit, an uncanny Pacquiao look-alike dubbed 'mini-Manny' by the media, and Zou both weighed in right on the 112lb flyweight limit.

There are two other world title contests on the undercard.

WBO featherweight champion and double Olympic gold medallist Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1 KO) defends his title against Thailand's Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (52-1, 33 KOs) with both exactly on the 126lb limit.

World Boxing Association super lightweight champion Jessie Vargas from Las Vegas (25-0, 9 KOs) weighed in on the 140lb limit for his defence against Mexico's Antonio DeMarco (31-3-1, 23 KOs) who was a little lighter at 139.3lb.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Where to watch the Pacquiao-Algieri match

MANILA – Fans of Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao can watch their idol's highly-anticipated bout against American boxer Chris Algieri for free in Manila and Taguig on Sunday.

In Manila, there will be a free screening in eight areas:

- San Andres Sports Complex;
- Sen. Arturo Tolentino Sports Complex;
- Rizal Covered Court;
- RASAC Sports Complex;
- Patricia Covered Court;
- Dapitan Sports Complex;
- Delpan Sports Complex; and
- Tondo Sports Complex.

Local officials have distributed tickets for fans who will watch the match in Manila.

Meanwhile, in Taguig City, boxing fans can go to five designated areas to watch the match for free.

- Cayetano Sports Complex, Bagumbayan;
- Tipas Elementary School, Palingon-Tipas;
- Taguig City University Auditorium;
- Enlisted Men's Signal Village Elementary School; and
- Bagong Lipunan Condominum (BLC) Covered Court, Western Bicutan.

These are open to the public. Gates open at 7 a.m. -- Report from Johnson Manabat, dzMM

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why Team Pacquiao sees short fight vs Algieri

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MANILA, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao's co-trainer Buboy Fernandez believes Chris Algieri won't be able to go the distance against the eight-division world champion from the Philippines.

Fernandez said that if things go as planned, the fight won’t go past four rounds.

“For me mahaba na siguro ang apat o tatlo,” Pacquiao’s best friend told ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo.

Fernandez, however, said that they expect the New York-based fighter to come in prepared as the fight serves as his biggest break in his relatively young professional career.

“Kasi alam nagtraining ng todo-todo dahil alam nyang hindi biro ang makakalaban niya mas ekperiensyado sa kanya,” he said.

Fernandez was also irked by the predictions made by Algieri’s coaches, who claimed that they will pull off an upset against the Filipino boxer.

“Hindi ko lang nagustuhan yung sinabi ng trainer n’ya na sila ang magiging champion sa Linggo,” he said.

“Patunayan nila, basta kami, itutumba namin kayo.”

Meanwhile, fight analysts said that the bout will be an intriguing match-up because of the fighting styles of Pacquiao and Algieri.

Former pound-for-pound boxing champion Roy Jones Jr. said the title clash makes for a very intriguing pairing

“In this fight, we got a boxer-puncher versus a boxer-mover. They're tough intriguing match-up,” he said.

For his part, ESPN.com’s Kieran Mulvaney, said the pressure is on Pacquiao to deliver because he is expected to dominate a relative rookie in Algieri.

“Manny Pacquiao has to show that he's in a completely different class than Chris Algieri and I don't think he can afford to just scrape past him with a decision. He needs to win in a spectacular fashion and try to get him out of there,” he said.

Pacquiao’s mother, Mommy Dionisia, who will watch the fight live with her boyfriend, said she prays for a clean fight.

“Basta ang laro malinis lang. Ipagdasal mo lang na sana walang mangyari[ng masama] sa fight nila sa loob ng ring,” said Mommy D. -- From a report by Dyan Castillejo, ABS-CBN News

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Pacman' Pacquiao expected to gobble up Algieri

MANILA - A rejuvenated Manny Pacquiao will look to make short work of Chris Algieri Sunday to defend his World Boxing Organisation welterweight belt and raise his chances of a showdown with Floyd Mayweather.

Few believe the eight-weight world champion, oozing confidence and surrounded by a 300-plus entourage in Macau, will be seriously troubled by Algieri.

"Algieri will be overwhelmed by Manny's speed straight away," predicted Pacquiao's Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach on Friday. "Manny deep down really wants to win by a knockout."

His 30-year-old American opponent (20-0) is a capable and likeable former kickboxer from Long Island with a master's degree and an ambition 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 and end the fabled career of the 36-year-old Filipino icon and congressman from Sarangani province.

"Manny's going to be put to sleep, go home and then retire," Algieri's trainer Tim Lane told reporters Friday.

The last man to make such a bold prediction was another American, Brandon Rios, at the same venue a year ago. Rios was then destroyed by a masterclass 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.

"He's got a good jab, a good left hand," said Roach of Algieri. "But once we take that away he'll be lost. Manny's been exploding on me with the counter-punch. He's punching really hard."

Pacquiao, whose record stands 56-5-2 with 38 KOs, had a mixed build-up in which he made his professional basketball debut in the Philippines league last month.

But he says his intense training camp has 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.

'Money' Mayweather

"Manny wanted to go back to the old workouts with more heavy bags, more strength, less mitts," said Roach. "He's punching a lot harder I feel and his punch rate has gone up."

Only by stopping Algieri will Pacquiao prove the fearsome "fighter of the decade" in the 2000s is back, two weeks before his 36th birthday.

If he does then a potential $1 billion megafight with Floyd "Money" Mayweather may become closer to reality next year.

Pacquiao and Algieri will fight for the WBO welterweight (147lb) title at a catchweight limit of 144lb.

A host of celebrities will be ringside as promoter Bob Arum aims to show Saturday night pay-per-view audiences in the United States that Chinese territory Macau is growing to rival Las Vegas as a fight venue.

Hollywood superstars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have already confirmed they will be there. On the undercard they will see another screen star.

Chinese double Olympic gold medalist flyweight Zou Shiming (5-0, 1 KO) had a cameo role in the recent "Transformers 4" blockbuster movie and he will take on Thailand's Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym (27-0, 12 KOs) in a final eliminator for a world title shot.

Kwanpichit is an uncanny Pacquiao look-alike -- dubbed 'mini-Manny' by the media -- and Zou will be hoping that the similarity applies only to the Thai's looks and not his punching power.

Two other world title fights complete the pay-per-view card.

WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1 KO) and WBA super lightweight champion Jessie Vargas (25-0, 9 KOs) will defend their titles against Thailand's Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (52-1, 33 KOs) and Mexico's Antonio DeMarco (31-3-1, 23 KOs) respectively.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com