Pacquiao vs. Algieri: King of New York Faces No-Lose Situation Against Pac-Man
As a sportswriter in the digital age, I've become accustomed to people telling me I live in my mother's basement. Chris Algieri, the undefeated American who will fight Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 22, is also used to it.
Because he lives it.
As depicted in the first episode of HBO's 24/7 series, the 30-year-old Huntington, New York, native actually still lives in the basement of his parents' home. The series shows Algieri's humble beginnings, noting that at times he uses his bedroom as a training facility, equipped with speed bags, weights and other pieces of equipment more typically associated with a Gold's Gym.
The scene was an easy piece of filmmaking. Show Algieri, the heavy underdog, in his humblest possible state. Contrast him with Pacquiao, the heavy favorite, who is so damn famous that his home country allows him to play professional basketball despite a shot form that's so hideous it almost makes you wish Mr. Naismith never would've found that peach basket.
Floyd Mayweather, the oligarch of overindulgence, would have made for a better compare-and-contrast, but this works just fine. Depict Pacquiao as the subdued but confident champion. Contrast him with the brash kid from the wrong side of the tracks who is getting his one shot at glory. Basically, make every allusion to Rocky humanly possible.
The conceit works because it's rooted in truth. Not a single person breathing this wonderful, allergen-filled air believes Algieri has a shot in hell at defeating Pacquiao when they step into the ring at the Venetian Macao in China. Algieri probably doesn't believe it himself, which is just fine because there would be no logical reason to think he can win.
Pacquiao, even approaching his 36th birthday, is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of this generation. Even at 75 percent of the skill level he had a half-decade ago, Pacquiao is still better than 99.8 percent of boxers on this planet. He's powerful, smart and has become a far better tactical fighter as his career has gone along. He is a world-famous celebrity, recognized as one of the greats at his craft and living a happier live after battling personal demons.
And again: Pacquiao is so beloved in his native Philippines that it's basically become his own personal SimCity. He's a politician, a renowned singer, a basketball player, a philanthropist and basically whatever he wants to be. I sometimes wonder if Pacquiao has the closet of a Lego man, picking out whatever body suit fits this day's tasks the best.
Algieri has also been many things in his life. Not all of them are by choice. He was perhaps the world's best kickboxer before picking up boxing, doing so while working on his master's degree in clinical nutrition. While he's won his first 20 fights, Algieri has done so largely in anonymity. Most of his opponents have been low-tier jobbers hanging around for a paycheck.
ESPN.com's Dan Rafael noted that Algieri will make roughly 10 times more for fighting Pacquiao than he has any other fighter. Even in the fight announcements, Joe DeGuardia, Algieri's promoter, was dripping in the aww-shucks glee of someone who just won the lottery.
"He's very happy. He's happy for the opportunity," DeGuardia said, per Rafael. "I'm ecstatic we've been able to give him this. It's a great feeling. You work hard you develop him up the ranks. He fought off TV for a long time, he got on TV and now this. It's really rewarding to see him get this opportunity and a payday that will change his life."
Good. I'm happy for him, as one should be any time another human being earns a life-altering sum of money. Algieri will likely eat off this Pacquiao fight for at least the next couple years regardless of the result, at the very least entering his name in the lucrative second-tier fight conversation. It's a no-brainer, life-altering opportunity.
It also doesn't make for especially compelling television. Algieri is a fighter with absolutely nothing to lose, which could make for a thrilling 12 rounds in a couple weeks but also creates this malaise-filled buildup. Pacquiao does not possess Mayweather's promotional acumen. Mayweather's hype machine turned Canelo Alvarez into one of the biggest superstars on the planet before dismantling him in embarrassing fashion. Mayweather made folks almost-kinda care about Robert Guerrero.
There hasn't nearly been the same promotional juice thrown into this fight, which almost gives it the feeling of a throwaway. Pacquiao and Mayweather again seem more focused on one another than their respective tasks at hand. Algieri is a conduit to the next step.
But, hey, regardless of what happens, Algieri can at least maybe move out of his basement and afford a gym membership. And maybe I can get back to writing about more interesting fights from my basement.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Draft Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Updated NFL Draft Big Board 📋")
