Pacquiao vs. Algieri: Fight Odds, Fight Card Schedule and Projections
In a classic David vs. Goliath matchup, Chris Algieri is looking to ride the wave of momentum by knocking off the titan that is Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night in Macau, China. The assumption is the legend will walk away with a victory, though there have been signs that he may be slowing down.
Algieri has his first major pay-per-view exposure against Pacquiao. The 30-year-old American can be a double winner with a victory. He will gain instant stardom for beating arguably the biggest star in boxing and the WBO World Welterweight title in the process.
Pacquiao has come back nicely from back-to-back losses by defeating Brandon Rios and avenging an earlier defeat against Timothy Bradley. Now that he appears to be back on track, the 35-year-old has a chance to keep his momentum going.
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Both the odds and the final fight card have been set. Here's a look at what to expect from the anticipated main event and what it means.
| Title/Weight Class | Matchup | Projection |
| WBO World Welterweight Championship | Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KO) vs. Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KO) | Pacquiao via TKO |
| Flyweight | Zou Shiming (5-0, 1 KO) vs. Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym (27-0-2, 12 KO) | Shiming via Decision |
| Featherweight | Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1 KO) vs. Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (52-1, 33 KO) | Lomachenko via KO |
| Junior Welterweight | Jessie Vargas (25-0, 9 KO) vs. Antonio DeMarco (31-3-1, 23 KO) | DeMarco via Decision |
| Bout | Fighter No. 1 Odds | Fighter No. 2 Odds |
| Pacquiao vs. Algieri | Manny Pacquiao (-1250) | Algieri (+650) |
| Shiming vs. OnesongchaiGym | Zou Shiming (-2150) | Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym (+1050) |
| Lomachenko vs. Piriiyapinyo | Vasyl Lomachenko (-7000) | Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (+3000) |
| Vargas vs. DeMarco | Jessie Vargas (-357) | Antonio DeMarco (+250) |
Pacquiao vs. Algieri Projection
Even though boxing fans are still getting acquainted with Algieri, he's someone who is not to be taken lightly. A relative newcomer to this sport—his first professional fight was in 2008, according to BoxRec.com—Algieri is an accomplished kickboxer.
Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, told Gareth Davies of The Telegraph that Algieri reminds him of a legendary heavyweight fighter:
"Promoter Bob Arum sees Algieri, who fought (Ruslan) Provodnikov with one eye closed and – after being knocked down early in the fight – with a rare spirit, prompting Arum to tell Telegraph Sport that Algieri was like "a reincarnation of Gene Tunney", the legendary heavyweight who moved and boxed cleverly behind his jab and made the sport in to more of a chess match.
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While that's undoubtedly hyperbole meant to sell tickets, Algieri is an incredible athlete who has proved his resolve in the boxing ring. As Davies noted, Algieri got knocked down twice in the first round and won a decision over Ruslan Provodnikov.
Pacquiao is a step up in competition, but that toughness and drive are evident based on Algieri's recent past. The 30-year-old also has the size and reach advantage. He's listed at 5'10" with a reach of 72", compared to 5'6.5" and a 67" reach for Pacquiao, per BoxRec.com.
Despite that, there's not much optimism for an upset outside of people in Algieri's camp. Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports wrote that a large contingent of boxing people don't see this fight lasting very long:
"The cynics have said, and continue to say, that he might be out on Saturday, though not of his own accord. Pacquiao is an overwhelming favorite...and there is a line of thinking that Algieri won't be around to make the second half of the fight.
Pacquiao, as usual, declines to make any prediction and speaks mostly respectfully about Algieri.
His trainer, Freddie Roach, said that Pacquiao is simply too nice to say what he's really thinking, that he believes he'll knock Algieri out early, perhaps as soon as the first.
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A knockout would be a huge boost to Pacquiao's career, which seems to be in a transition period. He's lost steam in recent years thanks to a lack of marquee opponents and fights that are more technical and methodical than exciting.
Pac-Man hasn't recorded a knockout since defeating Miguel Cotto in November 2009, though that was a technical knockout because Cotto's eye was swollen shut and not a knockdown. His last true knockout was in May 2009 against Ricky Hatton in the second round.
The cynics, to use Iole's term, might assume that Pacquiao took this fight against Algieri as a way to pad his resume with a knockout. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, and recent history suggests that will be difficult for the champion to do.
Bernardo Pilatti of ESPNDeportes.com suggests that the best tactic for Pacquiao to take in the fight is going for the finish early:
"Pacquiao needs to go for the knockout right at the beginning of the fight. During those early rounds, Algieri might very well be nervous, unfocused and could have trouble finding his rhythm. For example, against Ruslan Provodnikov in June, Algieri was floored twice in the opening round. It's the perfect time for Pacquiao to throw some big punches to try to end the match early.
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Pacquiao is often at his best early in fights, beating opponents into submission before just tacking on damage in the later rounds. He's got the right opponent to look like the best fighter in the sport. All he has to do is follow through.
There's no reason to think Pacquiao will walk away from this fight as the loser, so don't expect anything unusual to happen in China on Saturday night.
Pacquiao wins via fifth-round TKO.
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