Chris Algieri had hoped to shock the world in Macau, China by upsetting the heavily favored Manny Pacquiao and take his WBO welterweight belt. The fleet-footed fighter proved to be no match for Pacquiao, who was quicker for all 12 rounds of his unanimous decision victory and sent Algieri to the mat six times.
Algieri carried the promotion leading into the fight though, and despite the loss will remain someone boxing fans are interested in seeing. He also is still the WBO junior welterweight champion, meaning plenty of good fights are still there for the making. Here are the best options for Algieri going forward after his first defeat.
Viktor Postol
Postol was the No. 1 contender for a fight with Danny Garcia in 2015, but signed an agreement to let Garcia seek a higher-profile opponent. Postol is not a big name in boxing just yet, but he's undefeated and ready for big exposure.
Postol is exactly the kind of fighter that could benefit from Algieri's new fame, while keeping Algieri in against quality fighters to keep interest in him high. The style matchup is intriguing as well, since both are tall for the division and are boxers rather than punchers.
Ruslan Provodnikov
Algieri made his name upsetting Provodnikov this summer at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and taking his belt. The "Siberian Rocky" grumbled post-fight that he landed the harder punches and brought the fight to Algieri--SWN was ringside for the fight and agreed.
Provodnikov's relentless pressure and Algieri's constant movement made for an entertaining fight the last time with a controversial split decision going Algieri's way. A rematch would generate a lot of interest.
Jessie Vargas
Vargas is undefeated and kept that going on the Pacquiao-Algieri undercard. As the WBA junior welterweight champion though, his level of competition after a clear victory over Antonio DeMarco needs to rise.
Neither fighter has much punching power, so the prospect of a knockout seems non-existent, but Algieri's style is strangely aggressive and would make a nice contrast with Vargas' counterpunching.
Adrien Broner
"The Problem" Adrien Broner has said he's interested in fighting for titles, but has downplayed possible fights with Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson. Showtime and HBO are working together more often these days, so a bout with Algieri makes some sense.
Broner's only loss came against Marcos "El Chino" Maidana at weltweight, but in the past Broner's been befuddled by volume punchers like Paulie Malignaggi. Algieri's movement could present problems for Broner, while Broner's power may be enough to knock out Algieri.
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