Premier Boxing Champions 2015: Fight Card and TV Schedule for May 29
The Premier Boxing Champions series soldiers on on Friday, May 29, bringing boxing fans a televised doubleheader of pugilistic action from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
PBC's main draw on this Friday night of fights is the 12-round matchup between Amir "King" Khan (30-3-0, 19 KOs)—a lightning-quick boxer presumably looking to position himself as Floyd Mayweather's next challenger— and Chris Algieri (20-1-0, 8 KOs), a native New Yorker attempting to bounce back from the first loss of his career at the hands of Manny Pacquiao in November 2014.
Also on the televised card, undefeated Javier "El Abejon" Fortuna (27-0-1, 20 KOs) opens the night in a scheduled 12-round bout against Bryan Vasquez (34-1-0, 18 KOs), with the vacant WBA World super featherweight title on the line.
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Fortuna-Vargas is a replacement for the originally scheduled throwdown between popular boxer and occasional commentator Paul Malignaggi and Danny O'Connor. Malignaggi had to pull out of the fight after suffering a deep cut above his eye in training, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, leaving Fortuna and Vargas to push their bout back from May 23 and fill the vacancy on PBC's May 29 card.
For those in need of a quick rundown of the TV schedule and fight card, here's a look at all you need to catch the latest edition of Premier Boxing Champions on Friday.
Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
When: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: Spike
Khan vs. Algieri Preview
If Khan really wants to get Mayweather in the ring—an achievement in and of itself—he can afford nothing less than a decisive victory over Algieri. The British-Pakistani boxer has proven himself time and again in the ring, defeating the likes of Devon Alexander, Luis Collazo and Zab Judah in recent years. A bout with Mayweather could be a life-changing moment for Khan, ushering him into a new era of wealth and visibility.
Of course, this means not overlooking Algieri on Friday. Khan seems well aware of the potential to foolishly look past his next opponent.
“I can’t afford to make any mistakes,” he said, per the Guardian's Bryan Armen Graham. “There’s a lot of pressure on this fight in that sense, where if you make a mistake you’re done.”
While Algieri might not be powerful enough to make a fighter pay for a mistake with a quick trip to the canvas, the former kickboxer does have other attributes that could make him dangerous in a fight like this.
Algieri has a full-inch-reach advantage (72" to 71") and nearly two inches of height on Khan. He also has the added benefit of fighting in his own backyard. The pride of Huntington, New York has fought just once in his career outside of New York—the loss to Pacquiao in Macau, China—and has fought four times in the borough of Brooklyn.
On the other hand, Algieri has really only defeated two fighters of repute—a unanimous-decision win over Emmanuel Taylor in February 2014 and a split-decision triumph over the granite-chinned Ruslan Provodnikov in June of that year.
He's also proven to be susceptible to the knockdown in his last two bouts. Pacquiao sent him to the canvas no less than six times in that high-profile debacle, while Provodnikov managed to knock him down twice in round one of their bout, only to see the Long Island man bravely climb his way back into the fight. Still, his new trainer John David Jackson has high hopes for him.
“I learned that he can fight,” said Jackson, per RingTV.com's Michael Woods. “I think Amir is in for a big surprise."
It would be foolish to question Algieri's heart or toughness, but that likely won't cut it against a top fighter like Khan.
The 28-year-old boasts brilliant hand speed, is willing to use the whole ring to his advantage and has managed 19 knockouts in his career, although the last came against Zab Judah in 2011.
King Khan has also looked to refine his technical skills in the ring by partnering with trainer Virgil Hunter, who helped shepherd Andre Ward to greatness, per Newsday's Greg Logan:
"Since joining Hunter, Khan has focused more on defense and footwork and working on specific game plans for each opponent to maximize his hand speed. Hunter also taught him the importance of training between fights to develop his skills and stay in shape rather than doing nothing."
Marks against Khan include a less-than-stellar chin, exposed in back-to-back losses to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia, although it should be noted the Peterson bout did go to the cards and Khan has rarely been staggered in recent contests.
If Khan can reign in his considerable skills and pick opponents apart without sustaining much damage, he should be a top force in the welterweight division for years to come, although lording over it with impunity may prove to be impossible even in a post-Mayweather vacuum. There is a glut of talented boxers fighting in and around the welterweight ranks, from Khan to Keith Thurman, Kell Brook to Timothy Bradley Jr.
Khan may not even be the most promising welterweight fighter from the UK—that could very well be Brook, who has a high-profile bout of his own against Frankie Gavin in London on Saturday, the day after Khan's big fight.
While a one-sided win in prime time on Friday might be a good boost for Khan's resume, it won't be too much of a bump given Algieri's short history in fighting prestige opponents. It seems there are likely many more obstacles to becoming the man to beat in the welterweight division than securing a lucrative bout against Mayweather, the master on his way out.
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