CHINA: BOXING - Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao to take on challenger Chris Algieri in November

Record ID: 574382

  • Title: CHINA: BOXING - Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao to take on challenger Chris Algieri in November
  • Date: 25th August 2014
  • Summary: MACAU, CHINA (AUGUST 25, 2014) (REUTERS) EIGHT-DIVISION WORLD CHAMPION, MANNY PACQUIAO, AND HIS COACH FREDDIE ROACH SEATED FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) EIGHT-DIVISION WORLD CHAMPION, MANNY PACQUIAO, SAYING: "The biggest challenge for me is to fight another tall guy And of course, I have to, I have to use my speed and footwork for this fight." PACQUIAO SIGN READING (English): "PACQUIAO VS ALGIERI" (SOUNDBITE) (English) EIGHT-DIVISION WORLD CHAMPION, MANNY PACQUIAO, SAYING: "I'm not bothered, you know, I'm not bothered of this problem because I never hide, I didn't hide something from the government. I pay my taxes in the States, and they have to honour, the Philippines has to honour I'm paying taxes in America." JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION, CHRIS ALGIERI AND HIS COACH, TIM LANE SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION, CHRIS ALGIERI, SAYING: "That's why the number one thing that would concern me would be his experience. In terms of his speed and footwork and the things he does that everyone looks at when they think of Manny, I'm not so worried about that stuff, because what I feel is the great equalizer in boxing is the jab. I don't care what you got. I don't care how strong you are. I don't care how fast you are. A good jab and a good mind can neutralize anything." JOURNALISTS SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMERICAN BOXER AND WORLD BOXING ORGANIZATION (WBO) JUNIOR WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION, CHRIS ALGIERI, SAYING: "Manny is what he is, he is a legend. But not that long ago Manny was in a position I'm in now. He was a relatively unknown guy, and he was fighting against the world champion, he came to the U.S."
  • Embargoed: 9th September 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAAW3ETFQT3XCNKANVQFOQ8WQSD
  • Story Text: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao said on Monday (August 25), that height will be his biggest challenge in his upcoming fight against undefeated junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri in Macau in November.
    35-year-old Pacquiao, the first and only boxer to win world titles in eight different weight divisions, attended a pre-match world press tour with Algieri.
    Algieri, a former kick-boxer, has a 20-0 professional record and won the WBO light-welterweight title last month by a split decision against Russia's Ruslan Provodnikov.
    Pacquiao, who is 5-foot-6-inches (169cm) tall, said Algieri's height at 5-foot-10-inches (183cm) would be a challenge for him.

    "The biggest challenge for me is to fight another tall guy. And of course, I have to use my speed and footwork for this fight," said Pacquiao, who is known for his agility and speed.
    He also spoke briefly about a supreme court case he won last Thursday (August 21), which ruled that he did not need to pay the Philippine government 3.3 billion pesos in taxes for 2008 and 2009 because he paid taxes in the United States during those years, local media reported. The two countries had agreed to void double taxation for their citizens.

    "I'm not bothered, you know, I'm not bothered of this problem because I never hide, I didn't hide something from the government. I pay my taxes in the States, and the Philippines has to honour I'm paying taxes in America," Pacquiao said.
    His opponent, Algieri, said Pacquiao's experience was a concern.

    "That's why the number one thing that would concern me would be his experience. In terms of his speed and footwork and the things he does that everyone looks at when they think of Manny, I'm not so worried about that stuff, because what I feel is the great equalizer in boxing is the jab. I don't care what you got. I don't care how strong you are. I don't care how fast you are. A good jab and a good mind can neutralize anything," he said.

    "Manny is what he is, he is a legend. But not that long ago Manny was in a position I'm in now. He was a relatively unknown guy, and he was fighting against the world champion, he came to the U.S.," Algieri added.
    Pacquiao, a congressman at the Sarangani province in the Philippines, has won 56 matches, drew 5 and lost 2 in his career.
    Apart from winning the junior welterweight champion in June, Algieri, from Huntington, New York, also has a master's degree in clinical nutrition.
    The fight between the pair is expected to take place in Macau on November 23.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2014. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register