Algieri entering unknown territory vs Pacquiao

MANILA, Philippines – Chris Algieri, who challenges Manny Pacquiao in his biggest fight to date, may be biting off more than he can chew.

Veteran boxing commentator Larry Merchant recently gave his thoughts on Algieri’s quest for boxing superstardom against Pacquiao, saying the undefeated American will have a lot on his plate.

In an interview with James Myhre of Tha Boxing Voice, the 83-year-old Merchant noted how Pacquiao has evolved in the past years from a free-swinging slugger to a polished boxer as he aged.

“He’s (Pacquiao) fighting a younger bigger boxer (Algieri). In his last fight, Pacquiao outboxed the boxer Tim Bradley. Bradley couldn’t cope with his quickness and smarts. The question is whether Algieri can, and Algieri has a lot going for him in this match-up,” he explained.

Algieri’s claim to fame is a victory over Ruslan Provodnikov, whom the New Yorker upset last June to take the WBO light welterweight title. Algieri rose from two first round knockouts and outboxed the favored Provodnikov to pull off a split decision win.

Though Merchant doesn’t agree with the outcome, he thinks Algieri did enough to position himself as a worthy foe for the Filipino icon.

“I like what Algieri did but I just don’t think he won the fight. I think he did a good job and I perceive him as a potential threat to Pacquiao.” Merchant continued.

Pacquiao and Algieri are currently embarking on a worldwide media tour to promote their Nov. 23 fight at the Cotai Arena of The Venetian Macao in Macau, China. As expected, Pacquiao is the heavy favorite to win the bout, although Algieri brings with him height and reach advantages which he’ll try to use to hack out another upset.

Nevertheless, Merchant has expressed doubts on whether Algieri can keep up with Pacquiao.

“The amazing thing about how he (Pacquiao) has evolved, is how high of a standard as a boxer he set because he still has amazing quickness and sight. We may find that Algieri is stepping to a higher level which might not be good for him,” he ended.