BOXING-ALGIERI-ZOU SHIMING Algieri downplays Rocky comparisons in upcoming bout with Pacquiao

Record ID: 574399

  • Title: BOXING-ALGIERI-ZOU SHIMING Algieri downplays Rocky comparisons in upcoming bout with Pacquiao
  • Date: 7th November 2014
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 06, 2014) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** BOXING NEWS CONFERENCE SYLVESTER STALLONE POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH CHRIS ALGIERI (SOUNDBITE) (English) SYLVESTER STALLONE SAYING: "It's amazing when art imitates life and life now imitates art and somewhere in between you have Chris. He's going to step up and really provide an extraordinary challenge and an interesting and uplifting boxer, which creates a Cinderella story and it's always great to say, well could Rocky really happen in reality? I guess you're about to see it. Ladies and gentleman, stay tuned, I think we have the birth of a new star." STALLONE AND ALGIERI (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIS ALGIERI SAYING: "He's been spending the past decade trying to get me to not fight like Rocky and to be more disciplined and to be more tactile and be a strategist and a master boxer in the ring. It's funny that when push comes to shove and that side of me had to come out, that was the side that grabbed everyone's attention. On November 22, it's not going to be my Rocky-esque performance that's going to win the day, it's going to be my smart, technical boxing skills and my strategy and my mental and physical preparation leading up to November 22." VARIOUS OF ZOU SHIMING POSING FOR PHOTOS ALONGSIDE UKRAINIAN BOXER VASYL LOMACHENKO (SOUNDBITE) (English) BOB ARUM SAYING: "It's such a major accomplishment that even the president of China is really paying attention and is one of Shiming's biggest fans. So please welcome one of the men who history will note as opening up China to the sport of boxing, Zou Shiming." (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) ZOU SHIMING SAYING: "I've been training really hard for the past two months and now I think I'm well prepared for the fight on the 22nd. China has showed more and more interest in boxing and the president Xi Jinping pays special attention to boxing, so I hope everyone can be there and I'll see you on the 22nd." VARIOUS OF SHIMING AND ALGIERI POSING FOR PHOTOS
  • Embargoed: 22nd November 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAB1Y23TQJZPYBR3B0AW8BV7BDQ
  • Story Text:
    Big screen Rocky, Sylvester Stallone, stops by Chris Algieri's promotional news conference to show his support for his upcoming bout against Manny Pacquiao.
    LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 06, 2014) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)
    1. BOXING NEWS CONFERENCE
    2. SYLVESTER STALLONE POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH CHRIS ALGIERI
    3. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SYLVESTER STALLONE SAYING:
    "It's amazing when art imitates life and life now imitates art and somewhere in between you have Chris. He's going to step up and really provide an extraordinary challenge and an interesting and uplifting boxer, which creates a Cinderella story and it's always great to say, well could Rocky really happen in reality? I guess you're about to see it. Ladies and gentleman, stay tuned, I think we have the birth of a new star."
    4. STALLONE AND ALGIERI
    5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHRIS ALGIERI SAYING:
    "He's been spending the past decade trying to get me to not fight like Rocky and to be more disciplined and to be more tactile and be a strategist and a master boxer in the ring. It's funny that when push comes to shove and that side of me had to come out, that was the side that grabbed everyone's attention. On November 22, it's not going to be my Rocky-esque performance that's going to win the day, it's going to be my smart, technical boxing skills and my strategy and my mental and physical preparation leading up to November 22."
    6. VARIOUS OF ZOU SHIMING POSING FOR PHOTOS ALONGSIDE UKRAINIAN BOXER VASYL LOMACHENKO
    7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BOB ARUM SAYING:
    "It's such a major accomplishment that even the president of China is really paying attention and is one of Shiming's biggest fans. So please welcome one of the men who history will note as opening up China to the sport of boxing, Zou Shiming."
    8. (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) ZOU SHIMING SAYING:
    "I've been training really hard for the past two months and now I think I'm well prepared for the fight on the 22nd. China has showed more and more interest in boxing and the president Xi Jinping pays special attention to boxing, so I hope everyone can be there and I'll see you on the 22nd."
    9. VARIOUS OF SHIMING AND ALGIERI POSING FOR PHOTOS

    Story: Since being called a real life Rocky, WBO light welterweight champion Chris Algieri has had to downplay that comparison as he gets set to square off against boxing great Manny Pacquiao and possibly propel himself to legendary status.
    On November 22, it's not going to be my Rocky-esque performance that's going to win the day, it's going to be my smart, technical boxing skills and my strategy and my mental and physical preparation leading up to November 22," Algieri told assembled reporters in a promotional stop for the fight in Los Angeles on Thursday (November 6).
    The American faces easily the sternest test of his six-year professional career when he steps into the Macau ring on that day against Pacquiao, winner of world titles in eight different weight divisions, for the Filipino's WBO welterweight crown.
    Algieri posed with Stallone and other boxers on the fight card set for the Asian gambling enclave, including Zou Shiming, who will take on Thailand's Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym in the world flyweight division. "I've been training really hard for the past two months and now I think I'm well prepared for the fight on the 22nd. China has showed more and more interest in boxing and the president Xi Jinping pays special attention to boxing, so I hope everyone can be there and I'll see you on the 22nd," Zou told reporters.
    Promoter Bob Arum spoke to the attention Zou's bout is getting in China, saying "It's such a major accomplishment that even the president of China is really paying attention and is one of Shiming's biggest fans.
    Also on hand Tuesday was Vasyl Lomachenko, who is set to fight Thailand's Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo for the world featherweight championship.
    As for Algieri, the New Yorker picked himself off the canvas twice in the first round of his last bout in June against Russian Ruslan Provodnikov on his way to a split decision victory that improved his record to 20-0 with eight knockouts.
    He showed great heart in edging Provodnikov in the New York bout but it remains unlikely that the wily Pacquiao would allow such mercy.
    The Filipino returned to winning ways with unanimous decision victories over Timothy Bradley and Brandon Rios in his last two outings that proved he can still trouble the best of the welterweight division even at 35-years-old.
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