Delikado si dating pound-for-pound king at kasalukuyang WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao sa Amerikanong si Chris Algieri sa Nobyembre 22 sa Macau, China.
Iginiit ito ng Hall of Fame boxing referee na si Puerto Rican Joe Cortez na tumanyag sa pagiging “fair but firm” sa napakaraming world title bouts na hinawakan.
Sa panayam ni boxing broadcaster Robert Brown ng “On The Ropes” Boxing Radio Show, iginiit ni Cortez na mahirap na laban para kay Pacquiao si Algieri na nahubaran ng WBO light welterweight title may ilang araw pa lamang ang nakararaan.
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“I think it will be a very difficult fight for Pacquiao. I think Pacquiao may not get through this kid. This kid is like 5’10 and he has great boxing skills, he has a long jab,” sinabi ni Cortez na nag-referee na rin sa mga laban ni Pacquiao. “He’s gonna keep Pacquiao at a distance, Pacquiao is gonna try to come in and put him away. Pacquiao is gonna have his hands full.”
Ayon kay Cortez, bagamat hindi gaanong malakas sumuntok si Algieri ay napatunayan nito na kayang makipagsabayan sa mahuhusay na boksingero, lalo nang talunin sa puntos si Russian Ruslan Provodnikov noong nakaraang Hunyo sa New York.
“Chris Algieri is not the hardest puncher in the world but he proved when he fought Provodnikov what kind of a style he has. He’s very difficult to hit and stays so very active with a lot of combinations and if he keeps Pacquiao at a distance, he’s gonna box him all night long and he’s gonna win a decision,” paliwanag ng referee. “If Pacquiao loses to Chris Algieri, it’s gonna be hard for Mayweather and Pacquiao to fight next year because people are not gonna want to buy it.”
Gayunman, sentimental na paborito niya si Pacquiao na manalo kay Algieri para matuloy ang laban kay WBC at WBA Floyd Mayweather Jr. sa 2015.
“For boxing, I hope Pacquiao wins because I’d like to see him and Mayweather get it on finally but I think Chris Algieri is gonna give him a very difficult fight. It can be an upset,” ani Cortez. “If Pacquiao gets past Chris Algieri, it will happen next year. I think that Mayweather and Pacquiao, they’re both coming to the end of their careers and they’re probably saying, ‘Let’s give the fans one last hurrah, lets do the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight in 2015.’ But again, like I said, Chris Algieri may be an obstacle that could put a stop to all of this.”
Aminado si Cortez na tulad ni Pacquiao ay nagbago o medyo bumagal na si Mayweather sa dalawang huling laban kay Argentinian Marcos Maidana.
“All fighters reach a certain age that you have to slip a little bit and he may be slipping a little bit but not enough to be in the danger zone. Every time he goes out there he does great, with Maidana the second fight, he fought so much more brilliant than he did the first time,” diin ni Cortez. “Mayweather learned from his mistakes from the first time that’s why he gave him a rematch, because he knew what he could do with him and he proved to the world that he could. Maidana could hardly catch him, Mayweather had legs of a twenty two year old that night. He was moving so rapidly with quick reflexes, stayed off the ropes and kept the combinations from the outside and did what he had to do to win.”
Kung matutuloy ang sagupaan nina Pacquiao at Mayweather, malaki ang paniniwala niyang magwawagi ang Amerikano.
“Mayweather’s gonna be forty real soon, so I think that he slipped a little bit but not enough because the competition at that weight class is not gonna give Mayweather any trouble. If he was to go up to 154, he’s looking for trouble there,” dagdag ni Cortez. “That fight is a fight that I see Mayweather winning by decision because Mayweather still has those skills. Pacquiao getting knocked out by Marquez, and he looked okay when he fought Brandon Rios in Macau, China but he’s slipping a lot too. He’s slipping a lot more than Mayweather is, so I gotta go with Mayweather on that one.”
