By Chris Williams: It’s no secret that WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) hasn’t been matched against too many mobile fighters during his long 19-year pro career.
It’s also no secret that Pacquiao struggled badly in a recent fight where he had to deal with the mobile Tim Bradley two years ago. Perhaps for that reason, Pacquiao is concerned about how he’s going to deal with his next opponent Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) on November 22nd at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, in Macao, Macao S.A.R., China.
Algieri moves better than Bradley, and he’s got the height at 5’10” and long reach to give the tiny 5’6” Pacquiao fits. But perhaps what makes Algieri even better is his high boxing IQ. He’s a smart fighter. He’s not going to voluntarily stop moving in order to make it exciting for fans like we saw Bradley do in his rematch with Pacquiao.
Algieri’s main focus is hitting and not getting hit in return. If that’s something that displeases the fans in Macau or the ones paying to see the fight on HBO pay-per-view, then that’s on them. Algieri only wants to win, and he’s not going to handicap himself in order to give the aging Pacquiao a better chance of winning.
“I expect him to run,” he said via Philstar.com. “I have to stop him from running. I know what I have to do. If I throw 1-2-3-4 combinations, I don’t think he’ll just stand to get hit. I’ll chase him down, maybe attack the body so he loses his quickness. But if he’s quick, I think I’m quicker.”
Pacquiao is kidding himself if he honestly thinks he can chase Algieri down. If you watch Pacquiao’s fights, he’s horrible at cutting off the ring for some reason. Pacquiao’s foot speed seems to be designed solely on attacking a stationary target, and when he doesn’t have a stationary target for him to attack, he’s at a loss with what to do. Algieri has a big advantage in foot speed and with his long reach.
Additionally, he’s fought his entire career by being a mobile fighter. He’s not a stationary fighter. So what we’re talking about here is Pacquiao having to adapt to his style instead of the other way around, and that’s going to be difficult for him to accomplish given his advanced age.
Pacquiao is basically an in an out type of fighter. He’s not good at moving laterally at high speed, and at changing directions to try and cut off his opponents. In other words, Pacquiao isn’t a good pressure fighter, and that’s what he would need to be in order to beat a guy like Algieri.
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