Manny Pacquiao Next Fight Update: Former Pound-for-Pound King Could Face Chris Algieri in Next Boxing Match
Chris Algieri pulled off a huge upset win over Ruslan Provodnikov in their showdown Saturday -- a win that could give him the biggest fight of his career.
Algieri, who escaped with a split-decision win over Provodnikov to become the WBO junior welterweight champion, is now being considered Manny Pacquiao's next opponent.
Top Rank CEO Bob Arum told reporters before the bout that the winner of the Provodnikov-Algieri match would likely get a shot at Pacquiao, and Algieri's promoter, Jose DeGuardia, said he was willing to arrange the Pacquiao vs. Algieri showdown in November.
"Chris is a perfect opponent, perfect fight for Manny Pacquiao," DeGuardia said via BoxingScene. "But now Chris just blew the doors off and really made it the fight. To be down twice in the first round, to have his eye closed -- you couldn't write a better script."
Algieri, who improved to 20-0 with eight knockouts, said he's willing to face Filipino boxing icon Pacquiao -- and that he can pull off that upset win too.
"It's a great fight. To be in there with a guy like Manny, definitely a future Hall of Famer, it would be awesome and I think stylistically it could be a good matchup. He's another dangerous guy but I think my style would match up well. That could be a really good possibility," Algieri said.
On the other hand, trainer Freddie Roach, who handles both Pacquiao and Provodnikov, sounded cold about the idea of having Pacquiao fight Algieri next.
The Hall of Fame trainer credited Algieri for his excellent performance against Provodnikov, but he isn't sure the 30-year-old New York native has done enough to earn a fight against Pacquiao.
"Algieri is a real nice kid. I never heard of him before this fight. He made a good statement with this fight. I don't know if he's quite that big yet," Roach said.
But if Algieri eventually gets the fight, Roach said he will have no trouble training Pacquiao to avenge his stablemate's defeat against the newly crowned junior welterweight champion.
"Possibly [he's the right opponent]. He's pretty tall, rangy. I have no problem getting Pacquiao ready to beat him," Roach added.
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