Pacquiao vs. Algieri Winner: Purse, Takeaways and Outlook After Lopsided Fight
Manny Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs) easily handled the previously undefeated Chris Algieri (20-1, 8 KOs) in his WBO welterweight title defence on Saturday, scoring six knockdowns on his way to a lopsided unanimous decision.
ESPN's Dan Rafael shared the final scorecards, and it wasn't pretty:
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Pac-Man was the massive favourite coming into the fight, although some wondered how he would handle Algieri's excellent movement around the ring and his power. Ultimately, neither showed. Yes, the American's footwork was great throughout the fight, but Pacquiao had no difficulties cutting off the ring.
As one might expect, the Filipino slugger earned a nice payday with the win, as shared by Rafael:
Let's have a look at some of the top takeaways from the bout, as well as the post-fight outlook for Pacquiao and Algieri.
Pac-Man's Speed Is Intact
Pacquiao may be turning 36 in less than a month, but the WBO welterweight champion doesn't appear to be slowing down one bit. Similar to his championship rematch against Timothy Bradley, Pac-Man came out firing early and easily outpunched his younger opponent.
While that may not have come as a huge surprise, the CompuBox numbers were still impressive, via The Ring Magazine:
Algieri had a tremendous advantage in reach, was known as a defensive specialist and displayed excellent footwork and movement skills throughout the fight—but none of it mattered. Pacquiao's hand speed was phenomenal, leading to plenty of fantastic combinations that rattled Algieri on several occasions.
The 35-year-old was more than happy with his performance, per Top Rank Boxing:
While fans may be slightly disappointed that the champion has now gone nine fights without scoring a stoppage, ESPN's Skip Bayless was still impressed with what he saw from Macau:
A move down to 140 pounds makes sense, but even at 147, it looks like Pac-Man is far from done.
Algieri Was Out of His Depth
Two weeks ago, I picked Pacquiao to win by unanimous decision, highlighting the huge step up in class Algieri was about to take:
"At some point, every upcoming fighter has to take the step up in class and beat the best. Some prove their potential, but most find out the hard way there's a reason guys like Pacquiao consistently rank at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings for decades.
[...]Pacquiao sits at a whole other level. He's smarter, faster, more accurate and more mobile than Provodnikov, and unlike anything Algieri has ever seen.
"
The 30-year-old Long Island native showed everyone he's a good boxer on Saturday. He kept moving well, recovered nicely from a host of knockdowns and was rewarded with the biggest payday of his career.
Algieri is a good boxer, but he doesn't have that one tool he can use to score an upset over a great one, and it was plain as day against Pacquiao. His power was lacking, and he couldn't keep up with Pac-Man's hand speed. In addition, his footwork wasn't enough to keep his opponent from facing him the entire time.
He did very little to excite promoters about fights in the future, and as shared by ESPN's Rafael, the WBO also took away his 140-pound belt:
Algieri's defensive abilities will make him a difficult opponent for a host of challengers, but after Saturday's display, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which he gets another shot at a true top contender.
With him being no longer undefeated and lacking clear knockout power, fans won't be lining up to spend top dollar on one of his fights soon—something potential opponents will also know.
Post-Fight Outlook
Algieri's big payday means he has some time to figure out where to go next. His chance to fight for a belt and the fact he only has one loss are two key factors in determining an opponent, and the 30-year-old should make sure his next opponent also carries a high profile.
A second consecutive loss would kill his stock, but as someone who has fought several levels below the top for the bulk of his career, Algieri needs to take advantage of the situation.
Bradley may not make for a great opponent as far as styles go, but both lost recent bouts against Pacquiao—that kind of story sells.
There are a number of young, talented boxers out there for Pacquiao to face, with Danny Garcia and Jessie Vargas leading the way. Juan Manuel Marquez is always an option, and after four fights between them already, scheduling a fifth bout shouldn't be hard.
Ultimately, the fans only want one opponent: Floyd Mayweather Jr. Will it happen in 2015? It seems more likely than it did 12 months ago, but at this point in time, Garcia, Vargas and even Marquez still appear more likely.
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