Pacquiao says Algieri ‘a big puzzle’

MANILA, Philippines – When Manny Pacquiao locks horns with Chris Algieri on November 23 in Macau, the boxing icon thinks he’ll be in for some mind games as well.

In an interview transcript published by ESPN.com, Pacquiao likened Algieri to a challenging puzzle that requires a lot of thinking to solve.

"Chris Algieri poses many puzzles for me to solve. In terms of his height and reach, only Antonio Margarito surpasses him in the scope of opponents I have faced. Algieri is also the most scientific, fluid and fittest fighter I have ever opposed,” the fighting congressman said.

At 5-foot-10, the undefeated Algieri indeed dwarfs the 5-foot-6 Pacquiao while also enjoying a five-inch reach advantage (72” to 67”). Combine those with the New Yorker’s stiff jab and solid all-around boxing skills, then it can be a tough night for Pacquiao.

“All of those factors, plus he is five years younger than me, make him the most dangerous opponent of my career,” he added.

Pacquiao went on to say that boxing is also a thinking game, stressing the need for him to adjust to whatever Algieri brings to the table on fight day.

"To me, boxing is a lot like chess. You don't just move a piece and wait for your opponent to respond, you have to see the board and think 10 to 12 moves ahead and anticipate the variables your opponent may counter with. Algieri does that and he does that very well,” he continued.

The WBO welterweight champion will be entering the fight as a huge favorite, but he’s wary of Algieri’s propensity to buck the  odds. In his last outing, the American pulled off a shocker against the heavily favored Ruslan Provodnikov to crown himself the WBO light welterweight champion.

In that fight, Algieri dusted himself off after two first round knockdowns to outbox the heavy-handed Provodnikov en route to the upset win – which eventually earned him the ticket to face Pacquiao.

“If you look at his recent fights – against Mike Arnaoutis, Emanuel Taylor and Ruslan Provodnikov – each victory for him was considered an upset,” Pacquiao recounted.

“Yet Algieri never considered himself an underdog, he went into each fight confident and with the right game plan and no matter what happened in the ring, he was disciplined enough to stay with that game plan. And it worked. He outfought them and out-thought them.”

To come out victorious, Pacquiao knows he has to break through Algieri’s defense, which will compounded by his advantages in height and reach.

"Algieri's reach and height will require me to work on closing the distance with him in the ring and I will need my speed more than ever to be able to score damaging blows to him while avoiding his own counters,” he detailed.

“I watched him fight Provodnikov and he fought the perfect fight against him. But I do not intend to fight Algieri's fight. I intend on fighting my fight and more importantly, making him fight my fight. This will be a battle of wills as much as it will be a battle of blows There will be a lot more going on in the ring than fans will realize, and it will be fast and it will be exciting.”