There’s nothing in Chris Algieri that turns Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach on.
In the eyes of Roach, the 30-year-old Algieri is just an ordinary guy although he’s “tall and got a lot of reach advantage,” said the Wild Card guru in an interview with fightnews over the weekend as he gets ready to whip Manny Pacquiao into form for the Nov. 23 clash in Macau with the unbeaten American of Italian and Argentine extraction.
While Algieri caused Roach some pain following his victory over Ruslan Provodnikov, a one-time sparring partner of Pacquiao, Roach doesn’t see anything special in the native of Long Island, New York.
“He’s not in Manny’s class. He is jumping a little bit too soon,” said the 54-year-old former fighter.
But before Roach and Pacquiao get reunited once again for the nth time since 2001, Algieri and his Filipino rival are going on a press tour of Macau and Shanghai and four cities in the US mainland beginning early next week.
The kickoff event of the promo tour will be in Macau on Aug. 25 with The Venetian, site of the November showdown as host of the press conference.
From the former Portuguese colony, Pacquiao and Algieri and their respective camps and the Top Rank team, will travel to Shanghai for another media gig there on Aug. 26 and head to the US for similar stops in San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York City.
Algieri stands 5-10 and has a three-and-a-half inch advantage, possesses a longer reach and a piston-like jab.
Still, Roach is still being nice and diplomatic in assessing Algieri’s overall skills.
“He’s a good boxer,” said Roach, who wants to set up training camp in General Santos City, and not in Metro Manila, where Pacquiao’s basketball team Kia Motors will be headquartered in preparation for the opening of the PBA on Oct. 19.