By Dean Parr
Chris Algieri is a 9-0 (5 KOs) light-welterweight prospect from Huntington in New York. On the 23rd of January, Algieri will fight in Madison Square Garden on the undercard of the Juan Manuel Lopez and Yuriorkis Gamboa double header. As he told BoxingScene.com, he is excited at the prospect of fighting in such a storied arena.
On the topic, he said: “Fighting in ‘The Garden’ is a dream come true. Madison Square Garden is ‘The Mecca’ of boxing, and I think any fighter out there aspires to perform there. Preparations are going great right now. I relocated my training camp to Las Vegas, Nevada to prepare for this bout. I spent the first two weeks of camp in New York, training with Keith Trimble at the Bellmore Kickboxing academy. I will then spend three weeks in Vegas, followed by a week back in New York. This has been the best camp of my career and I will looking to put on a world-class performance on the 23rd!”
In his last bout, Algieri looked impressive in stopping Edward Valdez (then 3-7-2) in three rounds. The fighter himself concurred that he fought well. “My team and I were very happy with that performance,” he enthused.
“We had a durable, shorter opponent who had some power, so the plan was to stick the jab and use my foot movement. I did just that and ended up with third round TKO. Any bout where I execute my coaches [Keith Trimble and Tim Lane] game plan makes me happy.”
Success is nothing new for Algieri though. Before making the move to pro boxing, he was a world-class kickboxer. “I was actually an undefeated two-division World Champion kickboxer,” revealed Algieri.
“I certainly believe this has helped me transition into boxing. Although I have no amateur boxing background, I am used to the long hours and weeks of preparation for a bout, as well as the pressure of fighting in front of crowds. In my kickboxing career, I fought fighters from all over the globe, seeing many different styles and experiencing a variety of ring situations. My years as a professional kick boxer will be invaluable to my rise through the boxing ranks to a world title.”
Some believe that kickboxing isn't a suitable background for pro boxing, as there are vast differences in the styles of fighting. For example, even the stances are vastly different, with a kickboxing one being squarer than that of a boxer. Algieri disagrees that he is at any kind of disadvantage having made the transition.
“I competed in full-contact kickboxing, which is more similar to traditional boxing than, say, Muay Thai Boxing,” commented Algieri. “In full-contact rules, there are no leg kicks, knees or elbow strikes. At the highest level these bouts are very similar to boxing and many of the same techniques are utilized. The main difference I have noticed in my transition from kickboxing to boxing has been the pace; boxing is much faster and the combinations are more fluid. I think this suits me better because I am always in great shape and I have speed.”
Despite his documented aptitude at both boxing and kickboxing, Algieri still has a ‘regular job’. This is soon to be packed in though. He said: “I am currently a laboratory technician at Cold Spring Harbor, doing research in various areas of molecular biology. Boxing full-time is definitely in the very near future. I am 9-0 now, and it is time to put all my energy into reaching my goal, which is to be world champion. You can't be a part-time world champion.”
Algieri then went on to explain why he believes he is destined to be a world champion. “Don't be confused”, he said, “I am here to be world champion. My team and I believe that we have what it takes to go all the way to the top of this sport. Boxing is a very dangerous sport and I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think I could compete at the highest level. I have made it to the top of another fight sport and plan on doing it again on a grander stage. I have a long list of fighters I would love to fight, but I am trying to take it one fight at a time. Right now I am focused on January 23rd.”
At the time of writing, Algieri's opponent was not announced. Whoever it is though, with Algieri in such a determined mood, they are probably in for a tough night. To finish off, Algieri had a few words for those who have helped him along the way.
“First, I would like to thank Boxing Scene and all the readers out there. Next I would like to thank all my family, friends and fans who have supported me over the years. See you all at the Garden!” he declared.
