Sunday, November 13, 2011

"Seeing is believing": An Exclusive Interview with Chris Algieri


Undefeated junior welterweight and Long Island's own Chris Algieri headlines what should be a great night of boxing in Huntington on Saturday night. Long Island Fights caught up with Chris to go over his fight with Bayan Jargal, as well as some of boxing's past, present, and future.

When a fight is just days away, like it is now, does it become all-consuming, or are you able to escape and carve out some time for yourself to relax?

It’s not that it’s my everything, but it’s that I don’t want to shut it out. I’m looking forward to it. I’m not wishing it was over or wishing it was the next day. I fell like a lot of people get stuck in that, but I enjoy my time in there. I’m looking forward to it. My job is to not get excited about it yet because I still do have six days. I still have a busy week. It is all-consuming, but it’s a choice to have it that way.




What special challenges does Bayan Jargal present in the ring?

He’s a pretty tricky guy and he’s very durable; he’s got a great chin. He’s got good conditioning and is in the fight for ten rounds, but what’s most special about him is that he’s tricky. His movements are kind of awkward, and he does things you don’t expect. You have to expect the unexpected, so that’s what we’re preparing for.

What advantages do you expect to have in the ring?

Definitely a reach advantage: I’m the longer taller guy. I believe I have a power advantage. He’s got a lot of knockouts, but the guys he stopped weren’t really high caliber guys. I think a lot of those knockouts came from catching guys with his trickiness. So I would say my reach, my power, and my fundamentals. I’m more of a structured boxer, which will nullify his trickiness.

With this fight being in Huntington, in your backyard, and on TV, is there a little more juice than might normally be surrounding the event, or is it just business as usual?

Every fight is a big fight. In terms of added pressure, I don’t really succumb to that because I’m in the ring myself, and for most of the work that I do, I’m locked away in a gym, and people don’t see. Fight night is really for me; it’s really my time to shine, so I’m not so concerned where the fight is or what’s going on outside the ropes.

Assuming you get past Bayan Jargal on Saturday, what or whom do you have in mind as the next move in your career?

I really just want to stay busy. I feel that people just need to see me. If I can get on a grander stage, everything will fall into place. I believe in my skills, and I believe I have what it takes; I just need everyone else to believe it too. And the only way to believe me is to see me. People don’t really believe I’m a as good as I think I am, or that I know I am. Seeing is believing. I really want to be on a grand stage where a lot of people can see me, especially on national television. A ShoBox would be great. And I’m ready for the other undefeateds in my weight class. I’m ready for any of those guys.

The card on Saturday features some other talented Long Island fighters. Who else can we keep an eye out for?

It’s actually a great card with a lot of local flavor. My friend and training partner is Raul Nuncio; he was a finalist in the Golden Gloves a year ago and is making his pro debut. He won the Golden Gloves a couple of years ago. He’s got a nice style: He’s hard to hit and he’s got good boxing skills. He’ll be fun to watch. Another guy is Cletus Seldin. I don’t really know him personally, but I saw him fight in the Garden a few weeks back. He’s an entertaining guy. Rich Nieves, a sparring partner and friend of mine, is a tough kid; this will be his second pro fight. And Adam Willett is on the card. I saw him training in the gym the other day; he looked sharp in sparring. It’s a pretty well-rounded card, to tell you the truth.

As a boxing fan, someone who appreciates the history of the sport and its legends, how will you remember the late Joe Frazier?

It’s impossible not to group Joe Frazier with Muhammad Ali, but I really try not to do that. I want to think of him as an individual and as his own man. He really was an all-time great and a wonderful man outside the Ali series. I want to think of him as the Olympic gold medalist; I want to think of him as the heavyweight champ; I want to think of him as the guy with the murderous double left hook to the body and the head, the guy who was tough as nails, not just the guy in there with Ali. I just want to remember Joe as Smokin’ Joe.

So how about Pacquaio-Marquez last night?

I thought it was a really good fight. It was a very high-level fight. It was a chess match. They both looked great: Pacquaio looked phenomenal; I thought Marquez looked incredible. They both fought well, and it’s the way they match up. At such a highs kill level, it was beautiful to watch. I do believe Manny won that fight slightly.

Because Marquez chose to counter, whereas Pacquaio engaged and brought the fight to Marquez?

I believe Manny pulled it out because he did push the action. Marquez was looking to counter, and he did just that. If I look back, every meaningful punch was landed by Marquez, but it was Manny who made the fight happen. And you have to give the fight to him based on effective aggression.

And what about a potential Pacquaio-Mayweather fight, based on what you’ve seen from each man recently?

Floyd beats Manny pretty handily. I don’t foresee that being a very competitive fight. Watching Marquez land the jab and the counter right hand, and thinking how much faster, sharper, and smarter Floyd is, I really can’t imagine it being a very competitive fight. And people forget Mayweather is a bigger man. The fight would have to be at 147 because Floyd won’t go lower, and Manny is a 135-pounder.

What needs to be done to attract fans to boxing – or back to boxing?

Part of it is the lack of a heavyweight division, which has always been a major part of American boxing – and the world stage. I really think the Klitschkos are killing heavyweight boxing. They’re too big and beating everybody. I respect their craft and finding a way they win, but nobody in America wants to watch them fight. I also think we’re missing an Oscar de la Hoya, that crossover guy. The “Sugar” Ray Leonard. We don’t have that Golden Boy any more. The best guy is Manny Pacquaio, and even though his English is better, he’s still seen as a foreigner. And then you have Floyd Mayweather, but he’s a heel. He’s the bad guy, and I’m not saying that in a bad way; that’s just the role he’s taken.

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