Pacquiao vs. Algieri: Latest Pre-Weigh-in Predictions and Odds
Manny Pacquiao's quest late in his career to resurface as a dominant welterweight boxer will reach the next chapter Saturday night when he faces up-and-comer Chris Algieri.
It will be Pac-Man's second bout in Macau, China, both of which have come in the last two years. The last time he was there, he soundly defeated Brandon Rios in November 2013.
Albeit not yet a household name, Algieri is more than capable of pulling off the upset with a massive size and reach advantage, along with a sterling undefeated record that he brings into China.
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Pacquiao and Algieri have shared plenty of smiles in promotional events leading up to Saturday's bout, but things are getting serious—as serious as things can get for the happy-go-lucky Pacquiao—as we approach the fight, photojournalist Liz Kreutz shows:
The sports world will wait in anticipation to see if Pacquiao can win convincingly enough to woo the likes of Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a dream fight. But before that elusive possibility can be considered, Pacquiao has 12 rounds in front of him with one of the toughest fighters in his division.
Let's break down the fight, along with the odds and a prediction.
Fight Odds
| Manny Pacquiao | -660 |
| Chris Algieri | +540 |
Note: Odds courtesy of Odds Shark, last updated Nov. 21 at 8 a.m. ET
Pacquiao vs. Algieri Predictions
He's 30 years old, has 20 fights on his resume—all wins—and has never stepped into the ring for a fight outside his native state of New York.
But Algieri has traveled across the world for his big chance at knocking off one of the most dominant boxers of his generation.
It's somewhat of an unconventional selection for Pacquiao's promotional group and actually could turn into a troublesome one if Pac-Man isn't careful. Algieri has a couple of distinct advantages over Pacquiao (reach, size), and many of his best attributes could negate his opponent's strengths.
He burst onto the scene by toppling Ruslan Provodnikov in a noticeable upset, coming back from a first-round knockdown only to dominate en route to his first world championship. That would look like a simple morale-booster in comparison to a Pacquiao win, however.
You can't knock Algieri's confidence, at least, as he heads into the fight, per The New York Times' Tom Pedulla: “I go in with the conviction that I am going to win this,” Algieri told Pedulla. “I’m going to beat Manny Pacquiao, no disrespect to him or anyone else. That’s just how I feel.”
The 30-year-old might become wary while watching film from Pacquiao's last two fights, which were dominant beatings of Rios and Timothy Bradley. But his previous two bouts—losses to Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez—show that the Filipino is far from unstoppable.
However, Pacquiao made no qualms about his chances while giving his opponent the credit he deserves, per BBC Sport: "He's young, never experienced a loss and that's why I'm excited because I love to fight undefeated fighters," he said. "I'm not underestimating him. He's a world champion, and I have to focus but the advantage I have is my experience, power and quickness."
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, was a bit more candid in his talk prior to Saturday, per ESPN's Dan Rafael:
Envisioning Pacquiao losing this fight isn't really as hard as it would seem, but it's nonetheless unlikely.
Algieri's reach advantage and his reliance on attacking from many different angles will frustrate Pacquiao early on, but the underdog's only real chance is if Pac-Man overlooks him. But with Algieri sporting an undefeated record, Pacquiao won't back down after getting Algieri's best stuff early.
Pacquiao hasn't knocked out an opponent since 2009, but the former knockout extraordinaire will sniff out another one to add to his resume.
It will take a vintage Pacquiao performance—maybe not of his fights of old but at least of his reinvented self—to topple Algieri, but he's shown he still has a few of those left.
Prediction: Pacquiao wins via fifth-round TKO
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