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19 March 2024

Manny 'Pacman' Pacquiao vs 'Rocky' Algieri: Manny wins by unanimous decision

Published
By Agencies

Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao comprehensively dismantled American Chris Algieri to retain his World Boxing Organization welterweight title at the Cotai Arena in Macau on Sunday.

Pacquiao dropped Algieri to the canvas six times during the 12-round contest in the southern Chinese city to win an overwhelming unanimous decision, 119-103, 119-103, 120-102 on the judges' cards.

Algieri, the unbeaten WBO light welterweight champion, was outclassed from the start, with the eight-division world champion Pacquiao knocking the Long Islander down in the second round, twice in both the sixth and ninth rounds, and finally again in the 10th. Pacquiao was landing punches at will as the quick Algieri tried to run, slip and hide from the onslaught.

But the congressman from Sarangani province really turned it when he smashed Algieri to the canvas with a devastating straight left in the sixth.

The American only just beat the count and dropped to one knee moments later as blows rained in from all angles.

He somehow survived and was knocked down twice more in the ninth and then again in the 10th, with one left sending him sprawling across the ring and head over heels backwards into the corner.

"I'm satisfied with the result," said Pacquiao. "I did my best. I was trying for a knockout but he was fast and keeps moving." "He's perfected his style," said Algieri.

"He's perfected the art of fighting like Manny Pacquiao. He hurt me once when he buzzed me with a left hook. But that was the only time." Algieri holds a master's degree and an ambition to become a doctor once his boxing days are over. All week in the build-up, his trainer Tim Lane had been declaring that he would destroy Pacquiao by "master boxing".

They proved hollow words and Pacquiao's Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach mocked them afterwards. "The master boxer was given a master class by Professor Pacquiao," said Roach. Pacquiao's victory will inevitably heighten calls for him to face the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather in what could be the first billion-dollar fight in history.

"I really want the fight. The fans deserve it," said Pacquiao afterwards, throwing down a challenge by imitating a new TV commercial in which he mocks Mayweather.

It brought huge cheers from the sellout 13,202 crowd at the Venetian Macau venue, where the vast majority appeared to be Filipinos.

Many hundreds more of Pacquiao's compatriots were waiting patiently outside for just a glimpse of their national hero, having arrived at the venue in the early hours of Sunday to find all the tickets gone.

Back in the Philippines, the nation stopped to watch en masse.

"The Filipinos were united in celebrating the victory of our national fist, Congressman Manny Pacquiao in his fight against Chris Algieri in Macau," said President Benigno Aquino's spokesman Herminio Coloma in Manila. "His strength, speed and skill were on display on the canvas. Every punch that scored caused the millions of Filipinos to cheer together in every corner of the world."  (AFP)
 

 

Manny Pacquiao is determined to show the world he is back to his very best by stopping pretender to his throne Chris Algieri in their world welterwight title contest in Macau.

It has been five years since Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) last stopped a fighter and the Filipino eight-weight world champion said he would blow away any lingering suggestion that his powers are on the wane two weeks before his 36th birthday.

"I'm very happy with my training camp because it was a new birth. It was like back to the old days - my speed and power and determination are back," said a confident Pacquiao at a pre-fight news conference at the Venetian Macau on Wednesday night.

"I'm very excited by this fight and I know my opponent is excited to win this fight, but I won't let that happen," Pacquiao added.


Pacquiao will be defending his WBO welterweight (147lb) title against American Algieri, the WBO junior welterweight (140lb) champion, at a catchweight limit of 144lb.

"He wants to prove to everyone that he can still punch," Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach told reporters earlier on Wednesday.

Manny Pacquiao (2nd L) of the Philippines and Chris Algieri (2nd R) of the US pose together after an official weigh-in for their World Boxing Organisation (WBO) 12-round welterweight title fight at the Venetian Macao hotel in Macau November 22, 2014. The fight between Pacquiao and Algieri will take place on Sunday at the Venetian's Cotai Arena. (Reuters)


"That's why we went to catchweight at 144. He's never been a puncher at 147. He's only knocked out two welterweights. That's why the drop in weight." 

Pacquiao weighed in at 143.8lb on Saturday for his welterweight world title defence, but his opponent Chris Algieri had trouble on the scales ahead of Sunday's fight.

Undefeated American Algieri could not make the catchweight limit of 144lb and was still 0.20lb over after a second attempt despite stripping down to his bare essentials at the Saturday morning weigh-in (Friday night in the US) at the Venetian Macau's Cotai Arena.

Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) was given two hours to sweat off the remaining weight and came back for a third attempt which saw him finally go under at 143.6lb.

Welterweight Miguel Angel Cotto was the last man 'Pacman' stopped, on November 14, 2009.

Before Pacquiao and Algieri square off for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title at around noon local time (0400GMT) Chinese double Olympic gold medallist flyweight Zou Shiming (5-0, 1 KO) will take on Thailand's Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym (27-0, 12 KOs) in a 12-round final eliminator for a world title shot.

Kwanpichit, an uncanny Pacquiao look-alike dubbed 'mini-Manny' by the media, and Zou both weighed in right on the 112lb flyweight limit.

There are two other world title contests on the undercard.

WBO featherweight champion and double Olympic gold medallist Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1 KO) defends his title against Thailand's Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (52-1, 33 KOs) with both exactly on the 126lb limit.

World Boxing Association super lightweight champion Jessie Vargas from Las Vegas (25-0, 9 KOs) weighed in on the 140lb limit for his defence against Mexico's Antonio DeMarco (31-3-1, 23 KOs) who was a little lighter at 139.3lb.