Juan Manuel Marquez, arguably Manny Pacquiao's greatest rival, sided with the Filipino when asked about his opinion on the upcoming bout against American, Chris Algieri.
Marquez said in an article by GMA Network:"He barely has a chance to win." He added, "Algieri is strong and he's durable. He also has boxing ability as shown against Ruslan Provodnikov but he doesn't have the style to beat Pacquiao- who has great speed and power. I believe that (Pacquiao) can win by knockout."
Algieri is slated to challenge Pacquiao in Macau on November 22, 2014. Marquez was actually one of the fighters proposed to face Pacquiao. It would have been Pacquiao vs. Marquez Part 5. Allegedly, Marquez wanted $20 million which caused promoters to rule him out.
Marquez said that Algieri has a small chance of winning against the eight-division champion. Algieri is currently the WBO light welterweight champion and has an undefeated record of 20 wins and 0 losses, with 8 knockouts. In a report by Philstar, the odds were in favor of Pacquiao, 16-1.
Algieri last fought and won over the Russian, Provodnikov, who used to be Pacquiao's sparring mate. However, his victory was not convincing.
Algieri, however, remains adamant that he will overcome the odds and criticisms. He said, "That is fine by me. That is on paper. And on paper, I am not supposed to win." He added, "Championships are won on intangibles, not on paper. Not to mention we are three and a half months away. Those odds will tighten up as the world sees my hard work and dedication."
According to ABS-CBN News, Algieri's boxing trainer, John Scully, defended him and said, "I think Chris showed a tremendous and impressive amount of grit, toughness, poise, heart and skills and perseverance the last time out." Referring to the Algieri-Provodnikov bout, he added, "That fight alone makes him as deserving as anyone else in the world right now."
Scully said, "It isn't always about the biggest names or the most famous names or the particular guy that you like to see. For me, the kid earned the fight in the greatest manner, and he's getting it. End of story. Personally, I think Algieri put on a great and unexpected performance over an extremely dangerous opponent, and came through with flying colors. He showed so much in terms of resilience, boxing ability, and calm under pressure. His style and enthusiasm and grit alone makes him a very worthy opponent in my eyes."