By Victor Salazar
New York, NY- Chris Algieri has campaigned from junior welterweight and welterweight divisions fighting names like Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan, and Ruslan Provodnikov. Now he faces an up and comer who has as much promise as any prospect in boxing currently in Errol Spence, Jr. While many established guys may have shied away at facing Spence, Algieri is sort of a throwback taking on all comers.
“I’m back to being a throwback fighter,” Algieri told BoxingScene.com. “I’m looked at as the veteran. I don’t have a ton of fights but I have a ton of the experience and I think that’s going to propel me the rest of the way.”
The fight takes place on April 16th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
This is a step up for Spence but one he is favored in. Algieri was questioned about possibly being a gatekeeper for up and comes. He responded by saying, “I don’t think I’m a gatekeeper. I won a world champions so to be considered as a gatekeeper versus someone who’s untested in a main event on primetime NBC, not sure that’s what a gatekeeper is.”
A lot of questions will be answered come April 16th and Algieri thinks a lot of people will be surprised that night.
“Technically he’s sound but he hasn’t done it against a guy who’s won a world championship, against a guy who has experience,” Algieri said of Spence. “He hasn’t fought a guy who can punch yet. It’s going to be a real eye opening experience for him and I think a lot of people. I don’t know what the stakes are but it doesn’t matter you don’t have to know the stakes. This is a big fight on a big stage. Its huge difference that any of what he’s done. It’s a big step for him.”
Algieri had headlined big fight cards before and this will be Spence’s first main event on prime time NBC. Algieri says he’s felt and knows what the big lights are while he says he doesn’t know if Spence is ready for that just yet.
“Being able to take in that big fight experience, I know what it is to walk through those doors now,” Algieri said. “I know these big lights. You’re going to tell me he’s not nervous? I been there too. When I fought Provodnikov, it was my first time on those big lights. It was my first real main event.”
“So what’s going to happen when those big lights are on him? I’ve been there so who knows how he reacts. Either he steps up to the plate and does well or he doesn’t. Only time will tell.”
