Pacquiao vs. Algieri Fight Card: Full Lineup and Predictions for Entire Event
Manny Pacquiao's quest to fight back to the forefront of boxing Saturday night in Macau against Chris Algieri will only be the main event of a thrilling fight card.
Pacquiao and Algieri will surely live up to the hype, with the undefeated New York native trying to uproot the welterweight titleholder in what promises to be an exciting bout. But with three bouts on tap for the undercard that all provoke intriguing storylines, viewers should be in for a treat even during the early fights.
Let's break down all of the matchups on the fight card and predict an ending for each.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Pacquiao vs. Algieri Fight Card
| Chris Algieri vs. Manny Pacquiao | Manny Pacquiao |
| Kwanpichit OnesongchaiGym vs. Zou Shiming | Zou Shiming |
| Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo | Vasyl Lomachenko |
| Antonio DeMarco vs. Jessie Vargas | Jessie Vargas |
| Fadhili Majiha vs. Jerwin Ancajas | Jerwin Ancajas |
| Espinos Sabu vs. Rex Tso | Rex Tso |
| Stephen Attard vs. Kuok Kun Ng | Kuok Kun Ng |
| Andrew Robinson vs. Qu Peng | Andrew Robinson |
Fight card courtesy of Top Rank.
Fight Card Predictions
Zou Shiming vs. Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym
The preliminaries will only set the stage for the main appetizer of the evening, which will be Zou Shiming facing off against Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym in a flyweight battle to start off the main card.
On top of a fantastic name, Onesongchaigym also bears a resemblance to Pacquiao himself, as HBO Boxing shows:
But unfortunately for him, that's about as far as his advantage stretches in Saturday's fight. Despite 27 wins and just two draws on his career resume, he's had 13 of those victories come against foes making their professional debut.
Meanwhile, what Shiming lacks in experience, he more than makes up for in dominant showings in the ring. He has earned mass appeal in China after winning his first five fights—all by knockout.
Onesongchaigym won't go away quietly, but Shiming will still pull out an easy victory.
Prediction: Shiming via unanimous decision
Jessie Vargas vs. Antonio DeMarco
A world title will be on the line in Saturday's second of two main card bouts, as Jessie Vargas puts his WBA light welterweight title on the line against Antonio DeMarco.
Vargas is a perfect 25-0 for his career, but he'll go up against a former WBC world lightweight titleholder with a sterling 31-3-1 record.
DeMarco also has recent form on his side with three straight wins all by knockout, but before that, he was rattled in 2012 by Adrien Broner. Vargas offers a similar challenge in the ring and will boast superior technical abilities.
Vargas could be in line to face Pacquiao after this one, per The Ring's Lem Satterfield. But first, he'll take care of business with a mid-round TKO.
Prediction: Vargas via eighth-round TKO
Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo
The co-main event of Saturday's showdown in Macau will feature Vasyl Lomachenko defending his featherweight title against worthy challenger Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo.
A longtime Olympic standout, Lomachenko has only been in the boxing circuits for a little over a year but has started on fire. He won the WBO featherweight title in his first professional fight then avenged a loss to Orlando Salido by defeating Gary Russell Jr. to win back his title.
Piriyapinyo has quite the experience advantage with a 52-1 record and 33 knockouts, but Lomachenko's Olympic success and immediate dominance at this level suggest that's not a problem.
Lomachenko's advantage in speed will stand out noticeably in the early rounds, and Piriyapinyo won't be able to keep up. The 26-year-old will cruise to his third career victory and retain his title.
Prediction: Lomachenko via fifth-round TKO
Manny Pacquiao vs. Chris Algieri
Heading into Saturday's fight, Algieri has still yet to face off in a professional bout outside of his native New York. Right before weigh-ins for the fight of his life, he was feeling confident and even tweeted his meal before:
In retrospect, Algieri might have wanted to hold off on the pasta. Per New York Daily News' Mitch Abramson, he failed to make weight on his first attempt before barely passing on the second go-around.
Now that a crisis is averted, Algieri can get back to focusing on a fight he has a real chance in. With a 20-0 record, Algieri is a deserving light welterweight titlist who showcased strong technique and great energy in an upset of Ruslan Provodnikov.
Will it be enough to seriously threaten Pacquiao? Early on, it should. But of the world-class boxers who would overlook Algieri in this position, Pac-Man isn't one of them. He'll stay composed throughout an early-round flurry and wear down Algieri for a mid-round TKO.
Prediction: Pacquiao via fifth-round TKO
Individual boxing stats courtesy of BoxRec unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
