WHO IS CHRIS ALGIERI?
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 19 Jul 2014
Christopher Mark Algieri was born March 2, 1984 in Huntington, New York and is the current WBO world lightwelterweight champion. Chris will face the biggest fight of his career against Manny Pacquiao on November 22, 2014 at the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Macao in Macau, China.
Algieri is of Italian and Argentinian origin and has a bachelor?s degree in health care science from Stony Brook University and a master?s degree from the New York Institute of Technology. A clinical nutritionist, he combined his experience as a world-class athlete and his knowledge of nutrition to spearhead a practice designed to treat competitive athletes without the use of unnecessary surgeries, pharmaceuticals or long lay-offs.
Algieri had his martial arts training in Chinese Kenpo at the age of 10, received his black belt at the age of 15 and began competing in amateur kickboxing at the age of 16. In high school, he engaged in wrestling and became captain of the St. Anthony?s varsity squad.
He won 2 Catholic League titles and one Catholic State Championship and ultimately made it to the semi-finals of the Public State Tournament. After high school, he spent 3 seasons as assistant coach to the St. Anthony?s Friar Wrestling team.
As an amateur, Algieri won the United States Kickboxing Association (USKBA) Northeast Championship. As a professional, he won the International Sport Karate Association Welterweight and World Kickboxing Association superwelterweight championships, obtaining an immaculate 20-0 record as a world kickboxing champion before retiring to become a professional boxer.
He won 10 straight fights when Joe DeGuardia's Star Boxing signed him. Algieri's career record now stands at 20-0 with 8 KOs as a professional boxer. On February 14, 2014, Algieri won a unanimous ten round decision over Emmanuel Taylor, a IBF number four contender, at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, Long Island, New York, to gain a slot in the world rankings.
He scored an upset win on June 14, 2014 when he defeated Ruslan Provodnikov at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, by split decision to be crowned the new WBO lightwelterweight champion.
The 30-year-old Algieri rose from a pair of first-round knockdowns, overcoming a swollen-shut right eye, to score that controversial decision, 114-112, 114-112 and 109-117. He had an advantage in overall punches (288-205) and power shots (177-164) and jabs (111-41) against Provodnikov.
Pacquiao, who has won two in a row over Brandon Rios and Timothy Bradley, is 56-5-2 with 38 knockouts.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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