Algieri: Freddie Roach's Trash Talk Won't Work On Me!

The man who fights Manny Pacquiao in Macau next week is an unusual boxer.

Chris Algieri (20-0, 8KOs) has an advanced education, a martial arts background and looks that make the female fans smile. And he wants to be a doctor.

In the days before his most recent fight – a stunning upset few in boxing saw coming – Algieri worked in his regular job as a personal trainer. At night he went home to his parents' house on Long Island, where he lives in the basement.

Winning against Pacquiao would make him one of the biggest names in boxing. Fresh off a training camp on the Las Vegas Strip, Algieri heads to China this week to fight Pacquiao on November 22.

Algieri won his spot in the Pacquiao sweepstakes by getting off the canvas twice in the first round in June to outpoint Ruslan Provodnikov. He outboxed Provodnikov, using his jab to pile up points and win the decision on two of the three scorecards.

That got him a belt and the Pacquiao fight, if not the respect of everyone in boxing. It includes Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, who suggested last month that Pacquiao's sparring partners were better than Algieri.

"He's wasting his time. I don't even read those reports," Algieri said. "Every day it's a new thing but they don't make a difference come fight night. Maybe it worked on other guys, but it's not going to work on me."