Chris Algieri, the WBO junior welterweight champion who will step up a weight class to challenge for Manny Pacquiao's WBO welterweight title, is viewed largely as a stepping stone for "Pacman" to build his case to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. Algieri, however, wants to make a name for his hometown in the sport of boxing.
"Long Island is not really looked at as a place where a lot of top quality or world class boxers are coming out of," Algieri said. "We have a lot of talent in this relatively small island and I think we're going to put a little more of a name on the map for Long Island."
Algireri was an unknown until he upset Ruslan "Siberian Rocky" Provodnikov at the Barclays Center this summer, despite two knockdowns in the first round. Algieri acknowledged that Pacquiao is a vastly different fighter than Provodnikov with a greater resume.
"There's nobody in the world like Manny Pacquiao," Algieri said. "He's got a very awkward style and he brings a lot of speed and power. The experience level is definitely something to think about and is very difficult to prepare for."
Algieri does not have much power. Instead, he relies on movement and a persistent, hard jab to keep opponents off track. He believes he has the goods to pull off a stunning upset.
"Training is going great so far," said Algieri. "A couple of weeks from now we'll be headed to China and getting ready to make some history. I'm training very hard. We've got a great game plan and I'm feeling very confident even this far out and it's only going to grow as we get closer."
An important aspect of Algieri's preparation will be his ability to not be overwhelmed by the magnitude of this bout, by far the biggest stage of his career.
"I knew that we would get here eventually," Algieri said. "It's just surreal how fast everything turned around so we really turned the corner. The opportunity arose and I've just been sprinting full-speed ahead. For the most part, I feel that I'm built for this stuff and I'm really relishing the moment."
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