Manny Pacquiao had plenty to lose in Saturday's fight against Chris Algieri , but Pac -Man dominated his way to a win by unanimous decision, recording six knockdowns in the process.
This was the first crack Algieri had at the big stage. It didn't go so well, and he figures to go no place but farther from the spotlight in his next bout. As for Pacquiao, the sky is the limit in terms of what lies ahead when he enters the ring again.
While many will be pining for Pacquiao to square off against Floyd Mayweather Jr., that fight should have happened years ago if fan demand was the primary driving force.
Pacquiao even plugged the possibility again after knocking off Algieri , via SportsCenter:
Although Pacquiao and Mayweather may both say they want to face each other, until it actually happens, boxing enthusiasts should take a "believe it when I see it" approach.
To stick with scenarios rooted in reality rather than years-long speculation that's never materialized, Danny Garcia makes a lot of sense as Pacquiao's opponent.
The reasoning behind Garcia is rather sound, because Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, has publicly stated that to be the case. Even before Saturday's triumph, Roach hinted that Mayweather was likely off the table and Garcia was a more logical candidate even before Pacquiao dismantled Algieri .
"If Manny feels good in this fight at 144 then I think his next fight will be at 140 because he makes 140 very easily," said Roach, via Yahoo! Sports. "First fight back? Danny Garcia. That's my personal opinion."
Garcia boasts a 29-0 record with 17 knockouts, offering far more power in his punches than Algieri ever showed on Saturday in Macau .
Shedding four pounds may make Pacquiao even more dangerous and explosive, if his showcase against Algieri is a sign of what's to come. ESPN's Dan Rafael praised Pacquiao's power:
There is little else for Pacquiao to prove outside of taking on Mayweather, but to knock off a second straight undefeated adversary would enhance the pressure in Mayweather's camp to make the marquee fight happen.
As for Algieri , his rise from relative obscurity on the strength of a controversial, split-decision win over Ruslan Provodnikov was what got him in the ring with Pacquiao in the first place. ESPN's Skip Bayless praised Algieri for hanging so tough amid quite a beating:
Absent any other marquee victories and considering how one-sided his fight with Pacquiao was, though, it's hard to envision another top-flight boxer scheduling Algieri to bolster his resume.
Pacquiao deserves credit for coming out firing with tenacity and throwing Algieri out of his rhythm, yet the New York native never even put up much of a contest. The apparent strategy Algieri 's corner was telling him to deploy was to wait until the later rounds to pounce, but that backfired, to say the least.
A stateside bout seems to be the most suitable option for Algieri 's future, considering he'd never fought off U.S. soil before Saturday. On the strength of name recognition from the Pacquiao fight, Algieri could be looking at someone like Adrien Broner in what could be a fantastic All-American clash between two one-loss, rising stars.
It might be a viable option for Broner , who's stated his desire to fight someone strong, including Pacquiao. If he wants that shot, proving himself against Algieri would be a logical stepping stone, rather than a rematch with Marcos Maidana , who's twice lost to Mayweather.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1FgCe4D
via IFTTT November 23, 2014 at 10:43AM
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