Pacquiao not worried about Algieri’s jabs

By Boxing News - 10/26/2014 - Comments

pac55555By Chris Williams: WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) says he’s not too worried about the jabs that his taller 5’10” opponent Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) will be looking to land in their fight on November 22nd at the Cotai Arena, Venetian Resort, Macao, in Macao S.A.R., China.

Pacquiao thinks he’s going to take Algieri’s jab away from him by using fast movements around the ring.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach believes it’s going to be simple for him to take the jab away from Algieri. Roach says he’s going to have Pacquiao crowd Algieri the same way he did against a weight-drained Oscar De La Hoya in 2008 to prevent him from throwing his jabs.

Roach isn’t saying that De La Hoya used zero movement in that fight, and made it easy for Pacquiao by standing in front of him. Algieri will be moving constantly in this fight, and he’s not going to let Pacquiao just walk up on him without moving away from him.

“I know what I am going to do for this fight. I think I have a way if he throws a lot of jabs,” Pacquiao said via Newsday.com. “I can move faster than him, so I don’t need to worry about that.”

Pacquiao is going to need to use a lot of movement in the fight if he wants to get within punching range, because this is not going to be easy for him to walk down a guy is tall, fast and as smart as Algieri.

If Pacquiao is forced to move quickly to try and catch up to Algieri, he’s going to be wide open for many of Algieri’s jabs. That’s just the way it works. The more Algieri moves, the more likely Pacquiao will leave himself open for getting hit by his shots.

Pacquiao is giving up a half foot in reach and 4 inches in height against Algieri. He’s not facing a shot De La Hoya or a slow as molasses Antonio Margarito. This is a much more difficult fight for Pacquiao, and it’s coming at a point in his career where he’s clearly not the same fighter he once was.

I think Pacquiao is not going to be able to take Algieri’s jab away from him, and he’s going to struggle to deal with his superior movement around the ring. Pacquiao has been matched against plodders and guys that have stood in front of him his entire career. He doesn’t do well against guys that can move around the ring, and I suspect he’s going to be frustrated and confused on November 22nd in trying to deal with Algieri’s foot speed.

You can expect Pacquiao to smack his gloves together over and over again in trying to encourage Algieri to stand and trade with him. Pacquiao will be sending a message to Algieri that he’s frustrated and can’t handle his movement. Algieri just needs to mentally acknowledge what he’s doing to the 35-year-old Pacquiao and keep him frustrated by continuing to move around the ring while jabbing.



Comments are closed.