Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri: Top Storylines as Showdown Looms

It's fight week in Macau!

Manny Pacquiao will defend his WBO Welterweight Championship against undefeated Chris Algieri on Saturday night in China, and we'll get you set up with all the top storylines ahead of the big fight.

Pacquiao took a big chance in facing Algieri, and we ponder whether he's in the prototypical no-win situation.

On a related note: Is the entire boxing world sleeping on the challenger?

Algieri is tall, rangy and has a style possibly built to give Pacquiao fits, but almost everyone is dismissing his chances.

Can he silence the naysayers and shock the world?

Will he be able to handle the moment, and Pacquiao's aggressive, power-punching style?

And how will the Filipino handle the physical advantages and stylistic challenges that his opponent will bring to the fight?

Let's get right to it.

A big fight is just days away, and these are your top storylines for Pacquiao vs. Algieri!

Is Manny Pacquiao in a No-Win Situation?

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Pacquiao definitely finds himself in something of a tricky spot with this fight.

It’s been a tough sell convincing many fight fans and members of the boxing intelligentsia that Algieri is a worthy opponent for the eight-division champion, and the expectations are that the Filipino should secure a dominant victory and retain his title.

The 35-year-old will enter the ring at the Cotai Arena as a heavy betting favorite—with good reason—and he can’t expect to receive a ton of credit for taking care business.

He could knock out Algieri in the first round—Ricky Hatton style—and it would be received with a yawn and a derisive "I told you so."

But if he struggles?

Or even—perish the thought—loses?

That’s the nightmare scenario for Team Pacquiao, and it’s not as far-fetched a possibility as you might think.

Algieri is a live dog, and he has some serious stylistic and physical advantages that could make Manny’s night very difficult, even if he comes up short.

It’s the ultimate no-win scenario for the Filipino, but it’s really not his fault.

Coming off a score-settling win against Timothy Bradley in April, it seemed clear that Pacquiao's and Top Rank’s preferred fight was a fifth bout with longtime rival Juan Manuel Marquez.

But the Mexican legend doesn’t seem to have any interest in that fight, and that left few viable options on the table.

Algieri removed another one when he took down Ruslan Provodnikov in June, and that’s how we ended up here.

Where it matters the most, public perception, Pacquiao really can’t win much of anything this weekend, but he can certainly lose.

Are We Sleeping on Chris Algieri?

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Algieri might not be a household name, but he’s no chump.

He’s tall, rangy and athletic, and he showed that he can overcome adversity to upset the well-laid plans of boxing's power brokers.

Provodnikov seemed to be the likeliest next opponent for the Filipino icon, and one round into his fight with Algieri, there didn’t seem to be any reason to think differently.

Algieri tasted the canvas twice in the opening frame, a left hand badly damaging his right eye, and he seemed to be in over his head against the Siberian slugger.

But—in the words of Freddie Roach on HBO's 24/7—he’s a “tough” kid, and he settled in, using his long jab to disrupt Provodnikov’s rhythm and prevent him from getting set to attack with much more than one shot at a time.

That allowed Algieri, with his right eye replaced by a golf-ball-sized swelling, to pop in and out, outlanding Provodnikov, capturing a decision and earning his shot at Pacquiao.

From someone who was ringside for the fight, you have to be impressed by Algieri’s mettle. It’s mentally taxing to stick and move against a fighter as vicious and aggressive as Ruslan, and doing it with only one eye?

That’s impressive.

Algieri is a talented guy, and he’s extremely confident in his own abilities.

You get the sense, from talking to him, that he’s not the least bit intimidated by this moment or his opponent.

That might not be enough to lead him to a win, but the kid is a gamer, and he shouldn’t be dismissed quite so quickly.

How Will Pacquiao Handle Algieri's Size and Style?

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Algieri is moving up in weight from 140 pounds to challenge for a welterweight championship, but he’s not the smaller man by any stretch.

The New Yorker will carry a 3.5-inch height and five-inch reach advantage into the ring with him on Saturday night.

His size, combined with an active style built on a long jab and high work rate, could present significant physical and stylistic challenges for the smaller Pacquiao.

Algieri summed up both issues perfectly:

“I’m tall for the weight class. I’m not built to go in there and stand in front of a man and trade bombs. Why would I do that? I’ve got length, reach, speed, footwork and defense,” he said.

Those are the characteristics that have led him to 20 consecutive victories to start his career, and they helped him unseat Provodnikov and earn this opportunity.

Pacquiao is a quick, active fighter who likes to get into scoring range and unleash flurries of punches. He doesn’t have the decimating power that marked his epic run through the ranks anymore, but he can still crack and overwhelm his opponents with activity.

Algieri’s job will be to force Pacquiao to the outside, using his footwork and movement to create angles and keep from getting trapped along the ropes.

Pacquiao will need to cut off the ring and find ways into scoring range, otherwise, he could be in for a difficult night at the office.

Roach has the advantage of having already prepared one of his fighters to face Algieri—he also trains Provodnikov—but Pacquiao isn’t a one-dimensional slugger like the Siberian Rocky.

He’s more refined and won’t attack in the same predictable manner round after round.

Freddie is a quick learner, and you can bank on him having a plan for his guy.

They’ll want to force exchanges.

A boxing match favors the challenger, and Pacquiao needs to make this into more of a fight. He needs to attack, relentlessly, but to do that, he’ll need to pay the price of getting inside.

Can Algieri Cope with Pacquiao's Aggression?

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It’s been 13 years since Pacquiao burst onto the scene with an upset title victory over Lehlo Ledwaba on the undercard of Oscar De La Hoya vs. Javier Castillejo, and he’s been one of boxing’s dominant fighters ever since.

His trademark aggression has caused better fighters than Algieri—no disrespect intended—to wilt under the pressure, and that’s one of the biggest questions facing the challenger in this contest.

Pacquiao is not Provodnikov.

He’s more diverse, more refined and doesn’t bull in looking for one big shot.

Pacquiao has long subscribed to the old adage that a good offense is the best defense.

He makes you so conscious of what he’s doing, and where the punches are coming from, that you forget to throw your own.

Or you’re too scared of letting your hands go and getting caught.

The big question for Algieri is whether or not his jab and movement will be enough to frustrate and nullify Pacquiao’s ability to unleash his trademark combinations.

Algieri was able to handle the pressure of Provodnikov—who is probably a bigger one-punch puncher than the Filipino icon—without too much trouble after the opening round.

But will he be able to handle Pacquiao?

He was down twice against Provodnikov, but he rallied nicely, adapting to the Russian’s style.

Pacquiao won’t make it quite that easy.

He’ll vary his attack, and his punches get to the target quicker and from very different angles than anything Algieri has ever faced before.

Can Algieri adapt and weather the Pacquiao storm?

That might well be the single biggest question of the fight.

If he can, he has a chance to win the fight.

But if not?

Is Pacquiao Looking Ahead?

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Pacquiao has made it very clear in recent days—as in recent weeks, months and years—that he has one more thing he’d like to accomplish in his fighting career:

A bout with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather.

It serves no purpose to once again revisit the 1,001 reasons this fight hasn’t happened yet, but it seems that chatter always picks up when the Pac Man is on the road to his next fight.

Mayweather backers would tell you that’s because Pacquiao has become desperate and needs Floyd’s name to build interest in his own fights.

That’s, at least, partly true, but it doesn’t diminish the Filipino’s clear desire to trade leather with the man frequently mentioned alongside him everywhere but where it matters: a boxing ring.

Perhaps more important, however, is the legitimate questions this raises about whether or not Pacquiao’s mind is in the right place.

Mayweather—as much as we wish he were—isn’t the man who will be standing across the ring on Saturday night.

That’ll be Chris Algieri.

The challenger is tough, confident and determined. He believes, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he has the tools and ability to win this fight, and any advantage, however slight, could prove significant.

You can bet that his mind will be entirely in the right place once that bell rings. This is his Super Bowl, his moment to shine, even if the same can’t be said for Pacquiao.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.