Algieri braces for Pacquiao’s ring experience

MANILA, Philippines – WBO light welterweight champion Chris Algieri is entering unknown territory against Manny Pacquiao, well aware of the boxing icon’s extensive experience as a prizefighter.

With only 20 professional boxing matches tucked under his belt, Algieri admits his resume pales in comparison to Pacquiao, who started boxing at the pro level in 1995 – or 13 years before Algieri made his pro debut in 2008.

Pacquiao is heavily favored to beat Algieri on Nov. 23 in Macau due primarily to his advantages in speed and power. But the 30-year-old American singled out the Filipino’s experience as his main asset.

“There’s nobody in the world like Manny Pacquiao,” Algieri said in a column by Peter Schwartz of CBS New York.

“He’s got a very awkward style and he brings a lot of speed and power. The experience level is definitely something to think about and is very difficult to prepare for,” added the New Yorker, whose claim to fame is defeating Ruslan Provodnikov last June for the WBO light welterweight title.

Algieri had reportedly been training like a madman in Long Island, New York for his biggest fight to date, one that would pay him a career-high purse of $1.5 million. The undefeated boxer said he’ll plane to China soon to acclimatize.

“Training is going great so far. Couple of weeks from now we’ll be headed to China and getting ready to make some history,” he explained.

Pacquiao, for his part, is expected to step up in his preparation this week with chief trainer Freddie Roach arriving in the country. A couple of tall sparring partners have reportedly been lined up to help Pacquiao prepare for Algieri, who at 5-foot-10 is the tallest opponent he’ll face in a while.

Algieri once again stressed his desire to defeat a big-name fighter like Pacquiao.

“I’m very hungry for this fight,” said Algieri. “I’m training very hard. We’ve got a great game plan and I’m feeling very confident even this far out and it’s only going to grow as we get closer.”