Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri: Latest Undercard Odds and Fight Predictions
Undercards for major bouts have seemed a bit lacking as of late, but that is not the case Saturday before Manny Pacquiao defends his WBO Welterweight Championship against the unbeaten Chris Algieri.
A fully loaded undercard set for The Venetian Macao in Macau, China, is sure to have an international flair with hotly contested matchups between some of the globe's best competitors.
Not only does the card feature hometown star Zou Shiming, but it boasts two title bouts that figure to act as great opening acts for the main event.
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Below, let's take a look at the full card and nail down predictions.
Pacquiao vs. Algieri Card and Predictions
| Chris Algieri (+475) vs. Manny Pacquiao (-750) | Manny Pacquiao |
| Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym vs. Zou Shiming | Zou Shiming |
| Vasyl Lomachenko (-10000) vs. Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (+1600) | Vasyl Lomachenko |
| Antonio DeMarco (+230) vs. Jessie Vargas (-300) | Jessie Vargas |
| Fadhili Majiha vs. Jerwin Ancajas | Jerwin Ancajas |
| Espinos Sabu vs. Rex Tso | Rex Tso |
| Stephen Attard vs. Kuok Kun Ng | Stephen Attard |
| Andrew Robinson vs. Qu Peng | Qu Peng |
Card via TopRank.com. Odds, where available, via Odds Shark as of Nov. 17 at 11 p.m. ET.
Matchups to Watch
Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym vs. Zou Shiming
A boxing card in Macau makes little sense without Shiming in the fray.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum made sure the Chinese star was on the card, throwing him in a flyweight world title elimination fight against Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym.
According to Greg Logan of Newsday, the entire card is an effort by Arum to help nurture the Chinese boxing market. As it turns out, Shiming is the top ambassador to further the market.
Arum says that Shiming "is the engine behind all of this activity in China. He's the poster boy," per Logan. For his part, the three-time Olympic gold medalist has been focused on showing strongly in front of a friendly crowd, per Top Rank Boxing:
OnesongchaiGym is not an opponent to take lightly, though. At 33 years of age with a 27-0 record and a pair of draws, per BoxRec.com, the Thailand native is a technically savvy fighter who can give anyone and everyone trouble in the ring.
Outside of the obvious implications on the sport as a whole, this one projects to be a quality showdown between two men looking to make a point in an elimination bout.
Antonio DeMarco vs. Jessie Vargas
Not all undercard matchups are created equal.
Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo figures to be a decent clash, but Antonio DeMarco and Jessie Vargas are sure to put on an offensive-minded show.
Vargas, the WBA super lightweight champion, is pretty unimaginative in his approach to each fight—he gets in the ring and unleashes a barrage that most cannot handle. Ditto for his challenger, DeMarco, a former champion who was last seen on global television taking a dive at the hands of Adrien Broner.
"My opponent Antonio DeMarco is a tough, rugged fighter who comes to fight," Vargas said, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. "I know this will be a fight that fans throughout the world will enjoy. This is very exciting for our team to be part of an event of this magnitude. I plan on bringing my world title belt back to Las Vegas."
Few in the weight class can hang with Vargas when he puts his foot to the pedal and speeds to decisions, hence his undefeated mark. Further cementing his status as a rising star in the sport outside of his crowd-pleasing approach is the fact that the Las Vegas native is currently being trained by one Roy Jones Jr.
Either DeMarco—and his 65.71 knockout percentage—is going to pull off a stunner to help kick off the night, or Vargas is going to roll as usual and continue to climb the ladder that is the hierarchy of the sport.
Regardless of the outcome, undercard bouts such as this have been few and far between as of late.
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