Even at the age of 35, a 144 pound Manny Pacquiao will be very fast.  His feet and hand speed will undoubtedly overmatch Chris Algieri.  So the worst strategy Algieri can use is to chase Manny around the ring only to be beaten to the punch with every exchange.  It is also unlikely that Algieri will have the ability or experience to cut off the ring so he must be patient.  He must employ the exact same strategy that Sergey Kovalev used to beat Bernard Hopkins.  He must pick his spots to engage, and get out.  And even using that strategy, which is the must likely to yield positive results, there is no guarantee he will be able to execute.

For his part, Manny Pacquiao will be ready for this fight.  He will be coming in well prepared as he always is and will use his superior handspeed and ring generalship to win round after round.  There is little chance that Pacqaio will knockout Algieri so he will have to out point him.  There is also little chance that Algieri will win on points so he must think stoppage.  But if Pacquiao  is at the top of his game, Algieri will have a slim chance of winning.  Algieri must stay busy, very busy.  Chris’ best chance lies in the fact that he is a tough kid and a Martial Artist.  It’s far more difficult to fight a man who’s kicking and punching so boxing does make it somewhat easier for the Martial Artist.  There is little doubt that no matter how much punishment he takes he will continue to fight hard.  He demonstrated that against Provodnikov.  So many boxers, when getting hit, retreat and play defense.  That’s exactly what Hopkins did against Kovalev.  Manny is also a brave warrior and will never back down and that may be Algieri’s best chance.  So we are looking at potentially, a very entertaining affair.

Prediction: Manny by decision.