It’s been five years since Manny Pacquiao last knocked out an opponent, and that didn’t change against Chris Algieri despite six knockdowns. Pacquiao dominated virtually every minute of the fight to win a lopsided unanimous decision before a sold-out crowd of 13,201 on Sunday at the Venetian Macao’s Cotai Arena in Macau.
“I knew he would come on strong,” Algieri said. “I had a feeling he would try to blast me out of there just because I’m not used to the big stage. I sat down on a left hook and he caught me with a great shot,” continue Algieri, who made a career-high $1.675 million (a big raise from his last purse, then a career-high $100,000). “That was really the only shot that hurt me. I had my legs when I got up but I knew he would come with an onslaught.”
Manny Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach state they want showdown against pound-for-pound No.1 Floyd Mayweather.
“People can prepare for (a fight) early next year,” Pacquiao said. “It is a fight that I want. It is a fight the fans deserve.”
There are signs that the fight is closer to happening than at any time since the original negotiations fell apart in early 2010. Top Rank promoter Bob Arum insists there are fruitful talks behind the scenes to bring together Showtime, which has Mayweather under contract, and HBO, which has a contract with Pacquiao, for a joint pay-per-view event.
“We’re tired. Everywhere we go they ask when is it going to happen? When are they going to fight,” Arum said. “I say enough is enough. Just make the fight happen. Let’s get it done and let’s get it done the next fight for each fighter, sometime in the first six months of next year.”
We just have to wait and see.