Pacquiao vs. Algieri: Pacman talks basketball career; Roach thinks sparring partners better than Algieri

pacquiao bradley 2 workout

Eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao spoke with media members Thursday morning on an international conference call to speak about his upcoming Nov. 22 fight date with Chris Algieri in Macau, China.

With a lot of attention being paid to Pacquiao and his newfound basketball career in the Philippines with the team he coaches/plays for the Kia-Sorrento of the Philippine Basketball Association, the 35-year-old champion didn’t waste any time defending his time on the court.

“It does not affect my training because basketball is on Sunday and we do not train on Sunday,” Pacquiao said. “Basketball is also good for footwork and balancing.  It helps a lot and that is why I am always in shape when I don’t have a fight because I am always playing basketball.  Basketball provides me with great cross-training.”

Top Rank CEO, Bob Arum explained that the game that Pacman played in last week—which he played seven minutes in— would be the only game he plays in leading up to his fight with Algieri.

With Algieri seemingly coming out of nowhere, to now fighting on the sport’s biggest stage, there have been rumblings on if Algieri belongs in a fight on boxing’s biggest stage. Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, explained why the Huntington, New York Native earned his shot at Pacman.

“Well Algieri did just beat one of the best punchers in the world,” Roach said. “He got off the deck twice and he showed a lot of heart. He definitely deserves to be there. It’s going to be a great fight. That’s why we are training so hard for this fight and that’s why we have such good sparring partners because we are not taking him lightly at all.”

With Algieri being knocked down twice in his bout against Ruslan Provodnikov, there is a chance that Pacquiao could get his first KO win since 2009 when he defeated Miguel Cotto via TKO.

“We cannot go into the fight thinking about the knockout,” Pacquiao explained. “A knockout will not change the result of the fight as long as we get the win. What we are trying to do right now is to get the focus in training and for the fight that people want to see. Chris Algieri is a very dangerous fighter and we are taking nothing for granted in this training camp.”

Despite Pacquiao saying he’s not looking for a KO, Roach hopes the catchweight of 144 will bring back the power in Pacman that we haven’t seen in some time.

“I would love to see a knockout,” Roach stated. “I think at 147 he is a little smaller than most of the 147-pounders out there.  We have to feed him five times a day for him to make that weight.  This fight is at 144 and I think his power will come back.  I see a knockout coming for sure.”

Preparing for a fighter like Algieri, one who is a more traditional boxer, with solid hand speed, who isn’t a knockout artist these days can be tough. In order to prepare Pacquiao for Algieri, Roach has brought in several quality sparring partners, including Mike Jones and Viktor Postal, the No1.-ranked junior welterweight contender by the WBC.

“Postol’s got a great jab and he’s tall, taller than Algieri and he’s rated No. 1 – a legitimate No. 1,” Roach explained. “He’s very smart. I see Manny having a little trouble with him and it’s more of a thinking match out there – he’s the right guy at the right time. He really makes Manny think which is what Algieri will do also and that’s what we’re getting ready for.

“Postol is a little taller (5’11”) than Algieri and he has a better left hand than Algieri but you know Mike Jones (6’0”) is pretty tall also. I think we’ve got the best sparring partners we could possibly get for the fight.”

Roach took things a little further after being asked if he really thought that Jones and Postal are better fighters than Pacman’s Nov. 22 opponent as he’s stated a few different times in the press.

“Well, you know Postol is the No. 1 contender and Algieri is a world champion – they are both great fighters,” Roach said. “Sometimes the truth hurts.”

If Algieri proves Roach and the rest of the world who feels he has no chance wrong, not only will he win the WBO welterweight title, he will have beaten one of the best fighters of the last decade.

Algieri will also earn the respect of fight fans everywhere and one more thing that may or may not please him too much.

“First let me put it on the legal level,” Arum said. “If Algieri wins the fight, there is a provision in the contract that he must give Manny Pacquiao a rematch. So if he does pull off the upset and wins, I’m sure Manny would want revenge so that would be Algieri’s next fight.

“Commercially, if you beat somebody like Manny Pacquiao, particularly someone as media friendly and so crowd friendly as Algieri, he would instantly be a huge attraction in the sport of boxing.”