Welterweights
Amir Khan (30-3, 19 KOs) vs. Chris Algieri (20-1, 8 KOs)While Khan reached new heights with his victory over Paulie Malignaggi at Madison Square Garden in 2011, the current venue is close to Algieri’s heart. It was in the Barclays Center last June that the Huntington, N.Y., native authored a stirring comeback win over Ruslan Provodnikov after being dropped twice in the opening frame. Algieri defeated Provodnikov via split decision.
For Khan, a win could net him a big-money fight against a major opponent, perhaps even his desired showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr., later this year. Algieri, meanwhile, would simply like to rebound from the shellacking he took against Manny Pacquiao last November.
The Matchup: Khan is a massive betting favorite in this fight, and deservedly so. Prior to being paired with Pacquiao, Algieri was a relatively unknown commodity, and in suffering six knockdowns en route to a lopsided unanimous decision defeat in Macao, didn’t give any indication that he was ready to compete against boxing’s elite.
One of Algieri’s best qualities is his resilience, which he showed in spades by going the distance against Pacquiao. That attribute also surfaced in the aforementioned bout against Provodnikov. Considering that Khan has gone to a decision in his last four victories, it is likely that this one goes the full 12 rounds.
There is a reason that Khan reportedly turned down fights against Kell Brook and Timothy Bradley before eventually accepting a date with Algieri. Not only is the American perceived as an easier opponent to propel Khan to more lucrative foes down the road, but Algieri’s style appears to be tailor made for the British boxer.
Khan, who owns notable triumphs over the likes of Marcos Maidana, Zab Judah, Devon Alexander, Marco Antonio Barrera and Malignaggi, struggles against physical opponents who can rough him up and test his chin with heavy punches. Algieri, however, favors a more technical approach, relying on his jab and footwork to carry him to victory. With just eight knockouts in 21 professional appearances, the former kickboxer is not likely to threaten Khan with his power.
In victory, Algieri has often had key advantages in hand speed and foot speed. Unfortunately for him, Khan is renowned for those very assets, particularly his hands. In his most recent triumph over Alexander, Khan outlanded his adversary by a whopping 243-to-91 count.
Khan does have his defensive flaws, including committing too much weight to his lead foot and an upright stance, but he appears to be far less reckless since switching trainers following a 2012 knockout loss to Danny Garcia. The Olympic silver medalist is often able to mask his deficiencies with rapid-fire combination punching. In addition, Khan will effectively use his jab in a number of ways, offering double and triple shots from his lead hand while also utilizing it as a distraction to set up his counter right.
After losing to Pacquiao, Algieri fired trainer Tim Lane in favor of John David Jackson, so it will be interesting to see what kind of changes he makes in the ring come fight night. However, Algieri may simply be lacking the tools to compete with upper tier welterweights, regardless of who is in his corner.
The Pick: While it’s difficult to imagine Khan being more dominant against Algieri than Pacquiao was, the British fighter should still be able to rack up the points by landing punches in volume. Without the threat of a knockout looming, Khan will be able open up consistently for multi-punch combinations as the bout progresses. Khan by clear-cut unanimous decision.