Manny Pacquiao Odds, Start Time, Undefeated Record and Highlights
Manny "Pac-Man" Pacquiao continues to be one of the biggest draws in boxing regardless of who he faces, which is why there is so much intrigue surrounding his upcoming bout against the relatively obscure Chris "King of New York" Algieri.
With that said, Algieri is a perfect 20-0 and is starting to make a name for himself in his own right. Facing a legend like Pacquiao will only help him in that regard, but there is no question that this matchup represents the biggest challenge of his relatively young career by a long shot.
As for Pac-Man, most will probably argue that it is just another fight for him. At 35 years of age, though, Pacquiao's career is nearing its latter stages. That means a loss could potentially push him that much closer to retirement.
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With so much riding on this fight for both combatants, here is a closer look at some of the biggest factors surrounding their impending meeting.
Where: The Venetian Macao in Macau, China
When: Saturday, Nov. 22, at 9 p.m. ET
Watch: HBO PPV
Updated Odds
| Manny Pacquiao | -700 |
| Chris Algieri | +450 |
*Courtesy of Odds Shark.
Tale of the Tape
*Courtesy of Inquirer Sports.
Recent Highlights
After losses to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez, many began to question if Pacquiao had reached the end of the line. Pac-Man has silenced his critics over his past two outings, however, with fairly decisive victories over both Brandon Rios and Bradley.
Both of those wins came via unanimous decision, and there was never much doubt throughout either fight that Pacquiao would ultimately come out on top.
With that said, Pac-Man's past two opponents have very different views regarding the Pacquiao vs. Algieri bout.
Rios hasn't shown Pacquiao much respect and is even picking Algieri to win due to a perceived lack of punching power from Pac-Man, according to Elie Seckbach of EsNewsReporting.com:
On the flip side, Bradley has nothing but good things to say about the Filipino superstar. He is of the belief that Pacquiao's quickness and explosiveness will be too much for Algieri to handle, per Greg Logan of Newsday:
"Oh, man. He's going to learn Nov. 22 what fast is all about. Manny Pacquiao? Lightning-fast, reflexes, angles. He's going to see what that's like. He definitely is. Good luck to him, though, man.
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Every boxer has an opinion about Pacquiao, and it is quite interesting that two of his past opponents are on such different pages. If nothing else, it proves that Pac-Man is among the most polarizing figures in boxing.
Chris Algieri
Algieri is still nowhere near being a household name, but he took a huge step in the right direction five months ago when he upset Russia's Ruslan Provodnikov to win the WBO Light Welterweight title.
Most expected Provodnikov to come out on top in that bout, but Algieri proved that he was more than just a paper tiger by outlasting him in a split-decision triumph. Algieri was so impressive in that victory that he earned Pac-Man's approval in terms of being a deserving opponent, according to Top Rank Boxing:
Algieri, undoubtedly opened a lot of eyes with that performance, including those of Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, per Star Boxing:
Many boxers have scored a shocking win only to fade back into obscurity, so Algieri has a big challenge in front of him when it comes to maintaining that momentum and beating an all-time great.
He has an opportunity to do so if he can replicate his performance against Provodnikov, but Pac-Man is a totally different animal who has gotten the job done against some of the best fighters the sport has to offer.
Prediction
Most are seemingly resigned to the notion that Pacquiao will cruise to victory over Algieri Saturday, but it wouldn't be wise to totally dismiss the New Yorker's chances.
Algieri poses an interesting challenge for Pacquiao due to the fact that he is 5'10". Pac-Man hasn't encountered many opponents with that type of size, which means he hasn't had to deal with a strong jab game too often, either.
If Algieri is able to jab effectively and keep Pacquiao from stringing together combinations from close in, then he will at least give himself a chance to compete on the scorecards.
When push comes to shove, though, Pac-Man has the edge in terms of speed, explosiveness and experience. That triumvirate of factors will ultimately prove to be too much for Algieri, with Pacquiao scoring a unanimous-decision win.
Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.
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