Algieri wary of Manny’s power, ring experience

MANILA, Philippines - WBO light welterweight champion Chris Algieri will not only have Manny Pacquiao’s speed and power to worry about when he slugs it out with the Filipino icon next month but also his vast ring experience.

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.