Pacquiao’s next foe dangerous

By Al S. Mendoza

 

I believe Chris Algieri is a dangerous foe.

He won’t be a world champion if he isn’t good.

Do you know that he is the reigning World Boxing Organization light welterweight champion (140 lb)?

And for him to be still unbeaten in 20 fights, that makes him a more than qualified opponent for Manny Pacquiao.

That is why I keep saying Pacquiao should not take Algieri lightly when they fight on Nov. 23 in Macau.

Lately, I had the rare opportunity to be with people very close to Pacquiao, like Eric Pineda, Bobby Rosales, Joe Ramos and Ginia Domingo.

Eric is Pacquiao’s Filipino manager, Bobby is more than Pacquiao’s adviser and guardian, Joe is Pacquiao’s confidante both here and in America and Ginia is Pacquiao’s boss—Ginia being the Kia Motors president.

To those not in the know, Pacquiao is also the player-coach of Kia Sorento in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Eric’s uncle, Chit Pineda, has been a dear friend of mine since Martial Law that is why Eric and I also consider each other as more than brothers.

Bobby has become a golf mate, a trusted lieutenant of Palawan Gov. Alvarez.

The good governor also happens to own Kia Motors and Asian Carmakers Corporation, the exclusive importer and distributor of BMWs in the Philippines.

All are agreed that Pacquiao is up against an opponent who has the credentials to upset the PacMan.

“Manny [Pacquiao] just needs to be very careful,” said Bobby.  “It is very clear that Algieri is no patsy.  His record validates that.”

There is this joke that all of Algieri’s 20 victims were pipitsugin (so-so fighters).

But I disagree as I’m sure some of them, if not many of them, may have been as good as your boxing idol in the neighborhood gym.

Algieri’s last victim, Ruslan Provodnikov, was himself a world-rated fighter.

It was that Algieri victory over Provodnikov almost four months ago that convinced Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s American promoter, the New Yorker is fit to face PacMan.

“People belittling Algieri do not know what they are talking about,” Arum warned.  “This New Yorker can fight that’s why I put a rematch clause in the bout.”

In case Algieri proceeds to upset Pacquiao, “I’ll immediately arrange a rematch—that is, if Manny wants it.”

One thing going for Algieri too is, aside from his immaculate 20-0 record, he is a spring chicken at age 28.

Pacquiao, at 35, isn’t as fast and as quick as he used to be as his last four fights would prove: 2 wins, 2 losses.

Even Pacquiao’s punching power seems to have lost its sting:  In the last five years, he has not won by knockout.

His last knockout win was in 2009 yet at the expense of Miguel Cotto via a 12th-round TKO.

Will Pacquiao, 56-5-2 with 38 knockouts, finally regain his knockout winning ways some two weeks from now?

Surely, Algieri can solely provide the answer.

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 (Happy birthday to my brothers Kuya Onie on Nov. 7 and Kuya Vicente on Nov. 10, who both reside in my beloved hometown Mangatarem.)  

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