by David P. Greisman
Chris Algieri was a professional kickboxer before he decided to enter the realm of those paid to compete under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules.
His first fight as a pro boxer was back in 2008. He was 24 years old then, and he’s 30 now, undefeated at 19-0 with 8 knockouts and set to challenge Ruslan Provodnikov for a 140-pound world title on June 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Algieri sees his kickboxing past “as a benefit,” he said on a May 28 media conference call.
“I’ve been in big fights and have fought fighters from all over the world before,” he said. “I’ve been in very tough fights, physically demanding fights, long fights. I think that really has carried over in my boxing career and has brought me to where I am today.
“A lot of the techniques are very similar, the punch techniques, the fact that I’ve been fighting without headgear for such a long time, I think has really helped my defense in my pro boxing career,” he added later. “But in terms of how the sport is fought, it’s a totally different pace. Boxing is a lot faster. Conditioning is a lot more intensive. Fights are longer. I think I’ve made those changes over the past 19 fights, and conditioning has never really been a problem.”
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