Pacquiao-Algieri Update

Chris Algieris’ promoter Joe DeGuardia wasn’t put off by the report that MannyPacquiao advisor Michael Koncz said that Algieri was “not in our sights.”

The NY-based dealmaker, who rolled the dice when he took local hero Algieri, the brightest pugilistic light out of Long Island since Gerry Cooney, a guy who kept the ticket sellers at his “home” venue, the Paramount in his native Huntington, quite busy a few times a year, told TSS that he’s still looking to make Pacquiao-Algieri.

Koncz, as quoted on Boxing Scene, said that Algieri is not a name in the mix, at this time, for Manny’s next, in November. Then again, Koncz also said that JuanManuel Marquez is also not being considered for another Manny fight, so perhaps the advisor was simply in a “no” mode when the writer caught him.

DeGuardia said he has been in touch with Top Rank, has given them an idea of what it would take monetarily get Pacquiao-Algieri made, on their end; the promoter called that ask “reasonable.”

No, DeGuardia didn’t read Koncz’ take on an Algieri fight as a permanent stop sign by any means. “It could mean (that Koncz is advising against a Pacquiao-Algieri fight and that he thinks Algieri is a bad style match for Pacquiao), but I think it is open to different interpretations,” he said.

DeGuardia acknowledged that Pacman is the man, so the ball is in his court, and any time frame would be reliant on his movements. Regardless, DeGuardia foresees Algieri taking a bit more time off, and next gloving up in the fall, be it early October, or in November, most likely.

I pressed him for the names of other potential waltz partners but he said he’s focused No. 1 on Pacquiao…and would only pursue other options if it became crystal clear Team Pacquiao didn’t want to see if Pacman could be a better ring general against the Long Islander than Ruslan Provodnikov was able to be. “I don’t want to play any games,” DeGuardia said. “If we learn that fight is not in our grasp, then we’d go someplace else.”

Algieri is still in soak-up-the-love mode, the promoter said. On Monday morning, he did a hit on Fox, talking up a charity event. Good for him; us tappers are too often obsessed with what’s next, instead of focusing on the aroma of the rose garden we are standing in.

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