Manny Pacquiao Primed for Floyd Mayweather Fight After Dominating Chris Algieri

Let’s get one thing straight right away—this is not a prediction that Manny Pacquiao will finally get a crack at Floyd Mayweather, only a realization that he is ready. If boxing fans have learned anything over the past few years, it is that any time there is logistical discussion about the fight happening, the rug is pulled out from underneath.

That may or may not happen again in the aftermath of Pacquiao’s dominating win over Chris Algieri on Saturday, but Pac-Man is as primed as he will ever be for the rest of his career to finally face Mayweather.

CBS Sports pointed out what plenty of people who watched Saturday’s bout were thinking in the immediate aftermath:

Pacquiao was explosive and ruthless on Saturday, registering six knockdowns on his way to a unanimous victory, 120-102, 119-103 and 119-103. The wide margin of defeat that the judges awarded Pac-Man was a testament to how truly one-sided the bout was from the very beginning.

Pacquiao overwhelmed the outmatched Algieri with speed, footwork and a relentless flurry of punches that never stopped from the first round through the 12th.

Pacquiao may not be in his prime anymore, but Saturday’s performance was the closest the 35-year-old has looked to that unstoppable force in quite some time. ESPN Stats & Info noted that Pacquiao is on a roll right now, and Saturday’s fight was the next step:

It is safe to say that Pacquiao has fully bounced back from his two straight losses before this current three-match winning streak. Not only did he enact some revenge on Timothy Bradley during this current streak, but he controlled Saturday's match against the previously undefeated Algieri.

Even though Pacquiao couldn’t get his first knockout since 2009, it was a dominating performance that proved he is still one of the sport’s best. Algieri never rallied behind a reach and height advantage, and Pac-Man avoided the New Yorker's signature jab throughout the match.

Kin Cheung/Associated Press

Algieri discussed his opponent, via Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports: "It's just not his hand speed. He's a great fighter. He does everything well. Manny has perfected his style of fighting. I was never hurt, but I did catch a really bad shot on one of the knockdowns."

Now it’s time for the debate and speculation to begin once again. 

ESPN’s Skip Bayless was practically calling Mayweather out after the fight with his typical bravado:

Pacquiao only stoked the fires after the match when he commented on a potential fight with Mayweather, via Iole, "I really want that fight. The fans deserve that fight."

Deserving or not, boxing fans would finally see their sport back on the ultimate main sporting stage if that bout were to happen. The amount of pay-per-view money it would make would be beyond ridiculous, and Pacquiao looked physically ready to go toe-to-toe with anyone on Saturday.

Even Mayweather.

By appearances, it sounds as if Pacquiao is ready for Mayweather given his post-bout quotes. The southpaw did what he had to do on Saturday to keep the dream alive and handled the underdog in convincing style. There is really nowhere else to go now but a matchup with boxing’s biggest name. 

Your move, Mayweather.

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