Manny Pacquiao has a lot of options on who to fight next. After Ruslan Provodnikov indicated that he wanted to fight the eight-division champion, Chris Algieri, the new WBO welterweight champion, also expressed that he wanted to face the Filipino later in 2014.
Bob Arum, president of Top Rank Promotions, said that whoever wins the fight between Algieri and Provodnikov will have a chance to face Pacquiao in November 2014. Algieri was declared the winner in a split decision on June 14, 2014. In the opening round of the fight, he got knocked down by the Russian twice but emerged the winner after being favored by two out of three judges.
Algieri is 30 years old, 5-foot-11 and resides in Huntington, New York. Although boxing fans predict that he will be an easy one for Pacquiao, Algieri has some things in his arsenal such as a 5-inch longer reach and background in kickboxing and wrestling.
In a report by Philstar, Algieri said, "Pacquiao is a good fight. It's a great fight. To be in there with a guy like Manny, definitely a future Hall of Famer, it would be awesome. And I think statistically it could be a good matchup. He's another dangerous guy but I think my style would match up well."
Freddie Roach from Manny's camp felt otherwise. He said, "Algieri is a real nice kid. I never heard of him before this fight. He made a good statement with this fight. I don't know if he's quite that big yet (to face Pacquiao)." He added, "He's still a 140-pounder moving up 147 to fight Pacquiao." But Roach did not dismiss Algieri entirely by concluding, "Possibly. He's pretty tall, rangy. I have no problem getting Pacquiao ready to beat him."
Other fighters that may be pitted against Pacquiao include Danny Garcia, Luis Carlos Abregu, Amir Khan and Canelo Alvarez. There might also be a chance of a second fight against Miguel Cotto or a fifth fight against Juan Manual Marquez, according to the Inquirer.
Fight Saga writes that fans have been craving for a Pacquiao versus Mayweather super fight but the two sides have not come to terms since. Mayweather's association with Richard Schaefer and Al Haymon made it very difficult to make the huge fight happen. However, new developments have arisen where a Prince promoter from the Middle East promised that he would make the fight happen in 2014. Should a deal push through, the fight will be set in Dubai.
Who do you think Manny Pacquiao should fight next? Algieri or Mayweather? Tell us in the comments!
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