Chris Algieri shocked the boxing world when he upset Ruslan Provodnikov this summer for the WBO junior welterweight title and earned a shot at Manny Pacquiao this November. That still hasn't earned him much respect, as Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach recently said that sparring partners in their training camp are better than Algieri.
During a call with media Roach reportedly said that Pacquiao had sparred with fighters "who are better than our opponent." He didn't back off when it was suggested he was taking Algieri lightly, saying "Sometimes, the truth hurts."
The fighter who sparked Roach's comment was Viktor Postol, a highly regarded junior welterweight who is currently the No. 1 contender for Danny "Swift" Garcia's WBC belt. Postol has been paid to step aside and let Garcia seek a higher-profile fight, but he's in the mix at the top of the junior welterweight division.
"Postol is as talented as Algieri, and he has a better left hand," Roach said before shifting tone and giving Algieri some credit. "Postol is smart. I see Manny having trouble with him. He makes Manny think. That's something Algieri will do, also."
Roach's comment has furthered the perception that Pacquiao isn't taking the fight seriously; that perception grew when Pacquiao decided to participate in a professional Filipino basketball league game just over a month before a pay-per-view title fight.
Algieri expressed mild displeasure that Pacquiao took a risk by playing and potentially injuring himself. "I don't know if it's arrogance or just silly and stupid," Algieri said. "During the press tour, I actually got on a horse at one point. As soon as I got up there, I was like, 'This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea because I'm getting paid after the fight.' I don't know if it's the smart thing to do, but ... "
Pacquiao defended his decision to play on the conference call. "It was on a Sunday when I wasn't training," Pacquiao said. "I didn't play long. I just played to encourage my team. We won. I felt very excited because it was in front of 52,000 [fans]."
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