by David P. Greisman
The aggressive approach Chris Algieri took while winning a unanimous decision over Erick Bone on Dec. 5 wasn’t just because Bone is a tough opponent who can draw his foes into a fight. Rather, it was the second time Algieri took that sort of tactic. Coincidentally, it was his second fight under trainer John David Jackson.
“Honestly, I didn’t know I was going to go out there and do that. I boxed a little bit. I slugged a little more than I probably should’ve. But shit, I was having fun,” Algieri said afterward. “I definitely didn’t do what I know John David Jackson wanted me to do all the way through. I showed spots of it. That was kind of what this fight was for. Melding that under my old style. I think that we’re getting closer to my overall style, when I can really seamlessly go between boxing and brawling. I felt comfortable brawling and trading with him.”
Algieri said he got a little too excited, despite his team cautioning him about doing that while the Long Island native fought in front of a Brooklyn crowd and in his first bout back in half a year.
Algieri was much more of a boxer than a brawler in the past. That’s reflected in his record, which includes just eight knockouts in 21 wins. He said that being a boxer won’t be enough to win in the future, however.
"In order to be the best you got to be able to beat everybody, Floyd [Mayweather Jr.] is the only guy who can make his style work for everybody,” Algieri said. “I feel like I’m going to need to be able to switch in and out for different situations, different opponents. Whatever comes my way, I want to be prepared for. That’s a true all-around fighter.”
Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide. Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com
