Filipino champ says he felt sorry for Algieri
MACAU – Manny Pacquiao admitted Monday that he took pity on Chris Algieri, who suffered six knockdowns in their world welterweight title clash at the Cotai Arena.
“I felt a bit sorry for him,” Pacquiao told a handful of scribes just before he took the first of two AirAsia chartered flights for General Santos City.
Pacquiao, winner by lopsided scores on all three judges, said the 30-year-old Algieri simply didn’t want to lose by stoppage, probably content with the idea of just going the distance with the eight-division Filipino icon.
Pacquiao viewed the fight hours after his convincing win and noted that, indeed, Algieri “lacked experience” and most likely was pushed into the limelight so early following his stunning upset of Ruslan Provodnikov.
There were several instances in the 12-rounder that Algieri displayed the many moves of a novice and Pacquiao saw that as a sign that he was up against a fighter who hasn’t been to hell and back.
Even if I was only faking to throw a punch, he would cover up and veteran fighters don’t do that,” he said.
Algieri was floored in the second round, twice in the sixth and ninth and once in the tenth but it was the first knockdown in the ninth canto that stood out and best remembered.
A jarring left to Algieri cheek sent the New Yorker down and, for a second, it didn’t appear that he would be shake off the cobwebs.
But Algieri picked himself up only to be given an eight-count by referee Geno Rodriguez after a barrage sent him down.
Pacquiao said Algieri also had a lot of ring savvy after deciding to go down for the second time in the ninth.
“He had a very good strategy,” said Pacquiao, singling out Algieri’s decision to go down so the referee can break the action, allowing him precious time to recover his wits.
Algieri did survive the onslaught and went on to stand his ground and hear the final bell, preventing Pacquiao from putting an end to his knockout drought that began five years ago.
Pacquiao said he could have stopped Algieri if only the former kickboxing and karate champion engaged him toe-to-toe.
“But he didn’t want to,” said Pacquiao, who turns 36 on Dec. 17.
Still, Pacquiao, who sustained a nick underneath his left eye, said he tried his darn best to produce a stoppage win to please the fans.
“I gave him many chances to make his move but he just didn’t take it,” Pacquiao said.
If Algieri had done so, Pacquiao would have certainly finished him off.