Pacquiao-Algieri Staff Picks from Tha Boxing Voice

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    Manny+Pacquiao+v+Chris+Algieri+Media+Tour+gjXbVGROWPGlFight week is now upon us. We are one day away from one of the biggest fights of the year when Chris Algieri challenges WBO Welterweight Champion Manny Pacquiao in Macau, China tomorrow night.

    This is an interesting matchup of styles and although Pacquiao is the overwhelming favorite, alot of people are anticipating a competitive fight.

    Here’s how Tha Boxing Voice staff sees the fight going:

    Sergio Pesina

    Pacquiao by decision: I believe Pacquiao will come out victorious Saturday night in China. Chris Algieri is a very crafty boxer with a lot of heart, and all though he did out box and beat Provodnikov after hitting the canvas, Pacquiao, is no Provodnikov. Pacquiao is very agile unlike Provodnikov. He can bang, and he can box. He has tremendous speed and power that I believe will be too much for Algieri to deal with. We saw Pacquiao both box and brawl with another crafty and technical boxer in Timothy Bradley, and he was able to land solid shots and look impressive in winning. So my prediction, Pacquiao beats Algieri by UD after maybe a knockdown or two.

    Lucas Ketelle

    Pacquiao by decision: I think the fight is an interesting styles match up and Algieri has all of the tools to win. In particular, he doesn’t come forward which is the style that Pacquiao looks the best against. I just can’t help but remember Ruslan Provodnikov landing a left hook on Algieri early and his hand speed is not that of Pacquiao’s. Sure you could say Pacquiao is an in and out fighter rather than a pressure fighter, but I believe Pacquiao will frustrate Algieri with the angles his punches come from and potentially have him fearful to use his jab, the most effective weapon Algieri has.

    Simon Van Besouw

    Pacquiao KO 10: Intriguing fight. I see Algieri giving Pacquiao a lot of trouble with his height and movement. However, I don’t think that Algieri hits hard enough to prevent Pacquiao from getting on the inside. And on the inside is where Pacquiao is going to beat Algieri up and eventually stop him.

    James Lopez

    Pacquiao by decision: I believe Manny Pacquiao wins by UD. The fight is taking place in Macau, China, and in order for Algieri to win he will have to do it in a convincing manner. If the fight is close, I highly doubt Algieri will get the nod. With that being said, I believe Algieri will certainly give Pacquiao a lot of problems with his lateral movement. Algieri will hardly be open for one of those crazy Pacquiao combinations, because he doesn’t remain stationary. I also think Algieri will land his fair number of punches from a safe range on the outside.

    This should be a competitive fight, and I wouldn’t be shocked if either man wins, but I believe Pacquiao has a better chance given the location, and his popularity. In order to beat Pacquiao in China, you have to really beat him up. Pacquiao’s speed, accuracy, and intensity should allow him to compete with Algieri, and all he has to do is keep it close and he’ll get the win.

    Victor Salazar

    Pacquiao by decision: Pacquiao isn’t what he once was and the all-out blitzing of what we were accustomed from seeing with Pacquiao is a mere mirage. He takes off minutes in rounds.

    That being said he is still elite. Algieri has never faced a guy with the hands and feet of Pacquiao. Those one minute bursts in the rounds might prove to be too much for Algieri. Provodnikov in instances was able to find Algieri and he did that without a jab and without the feet that Pacquiao possesses.

    While I don’t see this as being a blowout, I still think Pacquiao should be favored. I think Algieri will give Pacquiao problems early on with his reach, feet, and length. I think Pacquiao will find Algieri late but won’t stop him. I see a close decision of 115-113 or 116-112 going to Pacquiao.

    Julio Garcia

    Pacquiao by knockout: The fight between Manny Pacquiao and Chris Algieri should be a showcase for Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao’s speed and power will be the biggest factor in the fight and he should get the stoppage win within the late rounds. Algieri will box from the beginning of the fight and will more than likely not mix it up that much with Pac. Algieri has shown that he can take power punches when he fought Provodnikov but the speed behind Pacquiao’s power punches will eventually put Algieri down and out. Speed kills and what he doesn’t see coming will hurt.

    Paul Yearwood III

    Pacquiao by decision: On Nov 22 fight fans are going to be treated to a fascinating fight of styles. You have the Filipino phenom whose powerful fist and quick in and out lateral movement and aggression has laid waste to 8 weight divisions. Then you have the slick footed and piston jab throwing New Yorker who has been catapulted into stardom with his recent performances, coming to a head in Macao,China for what I believe will be a terrific fight.

    Chris Algieri (20-0) showed an immense amount of heart and determination in his last fight against “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov. With an eye swollen shut in pretty much the second round, Algieiri went on to fight masterfully against the hard charging Provodnikov, using that piston like jab to perfection utilizing his reach advantage and overall boxing skill getting away from the hard shots of his opponent. Besides this fight the average fight fan probably doesn’t know Algieri too well. A pair of fights on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” in which Algieri used this same game plan against Emmanuel Taylor in a unanimous decision victory is basically all we have seen. Where as his foe on Nov. 22 has quite a resume and outstanding victories in the sport which has given Manny Pacquiao household name recognition.

    Before suffering two straight losses Pacquiao was riding a 15 fight win streak in which he fought in three different weight classes. In those two losses, one I believe and I think most of America who wasn’t judging the fight believes that Pacquiao won against Timothy Bradley. The other fight, against Juan Manuel Marquez a familiar foe flattened Pacquiao in the sixth round with a vicious counter punch. Safe to say Pacquiao was winning that fight before the knockout occurred.

    I say that to say this, it seems like those two losses have clouded some people’s judgment of Pacquiao and question if he has lost some of his luster after a long career in the sport. My belief is that Pacquiao has lost only a bit of power. You don’t see him knocking people out like he used to. Other than that Pacquiao is still one of the most dangerous fighters out there.

    My opinion is that this will be a great fight, Algieri will use most of the ring with his jab and great footwork. Pacquiao knows how to cut a ring off so he will implement that to thwart Algieri’s movement. I believe Pacquiao successfully cuts the ring off and gets inside Algieiri’s jab all night. I don’t think anyone has given Pacquiao trouble with just a jab and being able to get out of harms way sometimes, which I believe is Algieiri’s best weapons. If Algieri wants to win this fight he will have to land something to end the charging of Pacquiao’s offense. In the end I don’t think he will so my prediction is a win for Pacquiao.

    Melissa Bollinger

    Pacquiao by knockout: Pacquiao by oblivion.

    Michael Luketic

    Algieri by decision: This coming Saturday night 8 division champion and current WBO Welterweight Champion Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao takes on WBO Junior Welterweight Champion Chris Algieri in Macau China.

    A large majority of the people that purchase the pay per view event will be seeing Algieri for the first time. It won’t be the last time they see Algieri on the big stage. It is shocking to me at this point in his career Pacquiao would even take a fight like this.

    Algieri posses physical traits that Pacquiao hasn’t dealt with in the ring. Algieri is 5’10” and rangy unlike the taller fighters Pacquiao has faced before like Oscar De La Hoya and Antonio Margarito. Algeiri works off his jab and fights off his back foot, has tremendous poise and ring IQ and has top notch stamina. Algieri is a pure boxer through and through. The risk does not seem to match the reward for Pacquiao. We have seen Pacquaio have some issues with athletic fighters in the past. Going back to Pacquiao’s bout in 2011 with Shane Mosley, Pacquaio had trouble cutting the ring off and finding Mosley for a large majority of that fight. In 2012 Pacquiao’s first bout with Timothy Bradley, Bradley was able to use the ring and his legs and make Pacquiao consistently miss. I see Algieri being able to do some of the things Bradley did defensively with the difference being Algieri will be firing off punches while he’s moving. I think Pacquaio will have his moments in the fight and look good at times landing big crowd pleasing shots but they will be few and far between.

    Algieri has supreme confidence. With some fighters, I would fear the big stage and bright lights would have an effect on them but not Algieri. I believe that Algieri out boxes Pacquiao and shocks the boxing world for the second time this year. Chris Algieri by unanimous decision.

    Ryan O’Hara

    Pacquiao by decision: Pacquiao is going to get off to a fast start and land effective hooks to the body early on. Pacman is known for getting off to a fast start, while Algieri is not. As a result, Algieri will exert a lot of energy in the early rounds to avoid getting hit.

    Algieri will fight from the outside effectively until the later rounds. That is when Pacquiao will turn it up a notch and drop Algieri to the canvas, however Algieri will survive the bout. It should not be a difficult bout for Pacquiao.

    Robert Palmer

    Pacquiao by knockout: The term “boxing is about levels” will be more apparent than ever in this fight. Pacquiao is better than Algeri in every criteria that will matter in this fight. Pacquiao will finally get himself a stoppage.

    James Allen
    Pacquiao by decision: I think Pacquiao will win on points. With his inability to stop fighters at welterweight over the past years coupled with Algieri’s proven durability, I can’t see him putting the New Yorker away. The way I see it whoever establishes their distance first will gain the upper hand and I imagine a lot of jockeying for position with the feet from both fighters, jumping back and forth like two warring fleas over the first few rounds.

    Aside from the early knockdown against Provodnikov, Algieri did a fine job of avoiding the bombs being thrown his way in that fight, sometimes it seemed by millimeters. I don’t think he will be able to do the same when faced with the volume of punches Pacquiao is capable of putting out and the speed and accuracy with which they’re thrown.

    That being said I don’t think this will be an easy night for Pacquiao. It’s very plausible that Algieri establishes that long jab of his early on and keeps the much smaller man on the outside and nullifies the volume and speed, and getting a points decision himself. I just think he’ll have trouble pinning down Pacquiao for prolonged periods.

    Lucas Ketelle

    Pacquiao by decision: I think the fight is an interesting match up of styles and Algieri has all of the tools to win in particular he doesn’t come forward which is the style that Pacquiao looks the best against. I just can’t help but remember Ruslan Provodnikov landing a left hook on Algieri early and his hand speed is not that of Pacquiao’s. Sure you could say Pacquiao is an in and out fighter rather than a pressure fighter, but I believe Pacquiao will frustrate Algieri with the angles his punches come from and potentially have him fearful to use his jab, the most effective weapon Algieri has.

    Nicholas Green

    Pacquiao by decision: This fight has me conflicted for multiple reasons. I want Pacquiao to win because I want to see him fight Floyd Mayweather and have another big fight to watch, but I also want Algieri to win for the underdog/Rocky scenario to play out. As far as the actual fight I can see it being tough for Pacquiao due to Algieri’s length and boxing skills as well as the fact that we have seen that Algieri has a pretty good chin. On the flip side I can see Pacquaio being faster and catching him as he comes in with a thunderous left hand that he doesn’t see coming and getting the KO win. Another scenario I can see is Algieri out boxing Pacquiao and failing to get the decision because he is fighting in Asia. As for my actual pick I am going with Pacquiao. Although I think Pacquaio will have trouble with Algieri’s boxing skills, I don’t believe Algieri has the power to hurt Pacquiao like Marquez did or even Bradley for that matter. I am calling a 12 round majority decision for the Pacman.

    Joe Habeeb

    Pacquiao by decision: Although it may be true that Pacquiao may have slowed down a bit, I believe that he is fighting smarter now than in the past.

    I agree with Bob Arum when he said that after Pacquiao knocked out Ricky Hatton in the first round with one punch that all of a sudden he starting believing that he was a knockout artist. After that fight Pacquiao started acting like a seek and destroy type fighter and somewhat abandoned his movement and defense. I feel he became too brave for his own good and gambled on his offense too much in fights and as a result got hit with more punches than he should have at times.

    In the second Bradley fight, I though Pacquiao fought extremely intelligent. He was surprised at first with Bradley’s aggressive start, and he got caught a little bit off guard. Bradley manged to hurt Pacquiao with a big right hand early on that got his attention. After absorbing the blow, Pacquiao remained composed and decided from there on out to out box his opponent instead of trying to hit him right back with a power shot of his own like he has done on previous occasions.

    I like this version of Pacquiao. It reminds me of when he fought Oscar De La Hoya and he was only concerned about landing combinations and moving out after he threw instead of inviting any unnecessary exchanges.

    Algieri may have two quality wins against Ruslan Provodnikov and Emmanuel Taylor but now he is facing an elite fighter that he has never seen before. Pacquiao has been to the big dance many times before and Algieri hasn’t, simple as that.

    I don’t think the size and movement of Algieri will trouble Pacquiao because I feel that Pacquioao has arguably by far the fastest foot speed in the division and will be able to use that to get inside Algieri’s jab before he can react. Algieri may seem quick against slower fighters, but I don’t think he has ever fought anyone as remotely quick as Pacquiao and that will be the difference. Algieri will be in for a surprise when he sees that Pacquiao is much quicker than he anticipated in real time.

    With that being said I see Pacquiao winning a comfortable decision and if it is close I won’t be expecting any Bradley type decisions this time around since the fight is in China and Pacquiao is looked at as the house fighter in this venue.

    There you have it. Pacquiao wins in overwhelming fashion fourteen to one according to our staff.