By Edward Chaykovsky

Former champion Amir Khan is picking his former stablemate, Manny Pacquiao, to defeat Chris Algieri next Saturday night in Macau, China - but says it won't be as easy as many people think. Khan was once guided by Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, and the two boxers trained side by side for several years before Khan left the Wild Card Gym and hired Virgil Hunter.

Algieri (20-0, 8KOs) is taller and longer and wants to use his jab to control Pacquiao's aggression. Khan says Pacquiao is no longer the same guy who terrorized the welterweight ranks with a series of big wins and vicious knockouts.

"Algieri's style suits him, but Pacquiao's last few performances have not been the best," Khan said to scribe Nick Parkinson. "He has been caught a bit and it might be tough for him this next one.

"In his last four fights, Brandon Rios was made for Pacquiao and the Tim Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez fights took a lot out of him. He's getting older - he's 35 - and he's got a lot of distractions in his life now. He's staying in the Philippines to train now and you can see people are pulling him here, there and everywhere. He's also getting into politics.

"I still favour more towards Manny and I think it will go the distance, but Algieri might surprise a few people with his performance."