Amir Khan decisions Chris Algieri, hopes Floyd Mayweather is next

Amir Khan, chasing a fight with Floyd Mayweather for more than a year, cruised to a unanimous decision over former junior welterweight titleholder Chris Algieri on Friday night.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer

NEW YORK -- For more than a year, Amir Khan has been chasing a fight with pound-for-pound king and welterweight world champion Floyd Mayweather but remained the bridesmaid.

Mayweather teased him about a possible fight three times, only to pick Marcos Maidana twice as an opponent and then finalize the long-anticipated showdown with Manny Pacquiao, whom he beat on May 2. But Khan might be the bridesmaid no longer.

Although Khan looked vulnerable at times, especially early, he picked it up in the second half of the fight and cruised to a unanimous decision victory against fellow former junior welterweight titleholder Chris Algieri in their welterweight main event Friday night before 7,372 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Two judges had the fight 117-111 in Khan's favor, and the third had it 115-113. ESPN.com also had it for Khan 116-112.

Mayweather (48-0, 26 KOs) plans to fight again on Sept. 12 to close out his six-fight contract with CBS/Showtime, and he needs an opponent. Khan is clearly the highest-profile foe, and perhaps the most dangerous, of those remotely in the running. Titleholder Keith Thurman is scheduled for a fight on July 11 and would not be available. Junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia does not appear to be a serious consideration and might be fighting Aug. 1. Former welterweight titleholders Shawn Porter and Adrien Broner are fighting each other on June 20, but neither have the profile of Khan, who would bring considerable money to the table thanks to television revenue in his native England. So Khan just might get the call, especially after winning but looking just vulnerable enough that Mayweather might be interested.

"I think everybody knows Amir Khan wants to fight Floyd Mayweather," Khan said. "Mayweather is a champion, so let's make it happen."

After a difficult first half of the fight, Khan settled down, found his groove and beat Algieri over the second half with his speed and accuracy.

The 28-year-old Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) dominated the opening round with his movement and crisp punches, but Algieri (20-2, 8 KOs) did land a clean right hand that got Khan's attention, buckling him in the final seconds. The shot might have hurt Khan enough that it took him a few rounds to get himself back together.

Algieri, 31, who is from Huntington, New York, on Long Island, had a strong second round, picking up where he left off, as he pressed the action and landed some sharp punches.

Algieri, who looked much bigger than Khan, continued pressing forward in the third round and landing right hands as his hometown crowd chanted "Algieri! Algieri!"

Khan was trying to move and looked surprised by the aggression Algieri was showing, because that was not his usual style -- although Algieri was working with trainer John David Jackson for the first time, and the difference showed.

"A few mistakes I made. Obviously, I didn't think Algieri would come forward," Khan said. "I figured he would be on the back foot. Trainer Virgil Hunter gave me a game plan, and it worked for me."

Algieri continued to land clean right hands in the fourth round, seemingly wobbling Khan multiple times. But Khan got himself together and began to box smartly and pick the overaggressive Algieri apart during the sixth and seventh rounds. In the eighth round, he landed a clean right hand that stopped Algieri in his tracks.

"I spent a lot of time in the pocket. It worked, and plan on doing it more in the future," Khan said.

By the ninth round, Algieri's left eye was swollen and black and blue. A left hook seemed to hurt Algieri in the 10th round as Khan continued to pour it on, although Algieri, game as they come, pressed forward until the final bell.

"I have to show so much respect for Chris Algieri," Khan said. "He came to fight and win."

According to CompuBox statistics, Khan landed 218 of 609 punches (36 percent), and Algieri connected on 199 of 703 (28 percent), although he appeared to land far more in the first half of the bout than the second.

"I thought I did great pressuring him. I got my touches in," Algieri said. "He definitely didn't like it when I got into his body. I thought I hurt him several times, but he's a cagey guy. He spins off, and I guess the judges liked that tonight. I think that the cleaner, harder shots would get a little more respect."

Algieri was returning to the arena where he survived two knockdowns and a terribly swollen right eye -- all in the first round -- to win a split decision and a junior welterweight world title from Ruslan Provodnikov 11 months ago. Many thought Algieri lost the fight, but he parlayed the unexpected win into a shot at then-welterweight titleholder Pacquiao in Macau, China, in November.

But Algieri got knocked down six times in a one-sided decision loss, after which he fired trainer Tim Lane and hooked up with Jackson, the former world titleholder who also trains unified light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev.

Now he's lost two fights in a row.

"I'm disappointed," Algieri said. "But I will watch the film from this fight and move on from there."

Khan, who won his fifth fight in a row, will also move on. He hopes it will be to Mayweather.

"Everyone knows I would love to fight Floyd next, but when you wait for something this long and hope for it this long, it tends to set you back," Khan said. "Because of that, I didn't want to look past Chris or any other fighter."

But now, Khan can look ahead to Mayweather. Unless he makes him the bridesmaid yet again.

Dan Rafael, ESPN Senior Writer

Source:  espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/12978669/amir-khan-wins-unanimous-decision-chris-algieri

Khan-Algieri: Five things we learned

NEW YORK -- After welterweight star Amir Khan came away with an exciting unanimous decision over Chris Algieri at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, here are five things we learned from Friday's Premier Boxing Champions series doubleheader.

1. Khan wants Mayweather, but Brook is the better fight

The pursuit of a superfight with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather has held Khan's career hostage over the past two years, affecting all aspects of his decision-making. There were times when he appeared to deserve the bout and others when he clearly didn't. But despite making the necessary adjustments to hold off a determined Algieri by scores of 115-113 and 117-111 (twice), the ease with which Khan was hit by clean power shots throughout certainly lowered the confidence of anyone expecting he would give Mayweather a difficult test. With Floyd looking for a marketable September dance partner to close out his monster six-fight deal with Showtime/CBS, Khan (31-3, 19 KOs) very well still may get the call. But the better fight would be Khan facing unbeaten welterweight titlist Kell Brook in an all-England showdown. The fight would be massive overseas and a near pick 'em despite Khan saying in recent months that Brook wasn't on his level. The truth is, Brook very much is.

2. But let's not take too much away from Khan

The native of England began to make the adjustments in Round 5 to halt Algieri's hot start and owned the second half of the fight on all three scorecards. Khan landed 46 percent of his power shots overall, according to CompuBox, and varied his attack as the rounds progressed by alternating between boxer and sniper when appropriate. He was met head-on by a better-than-expected performance from Algieri and had enough to overcome it. If Algieri (20-2, 8 KOs) packed a more powerful punch, would Khan had still been the one with his hand raised at the end of the fight? We'll never know. But Khan did well to lean on his advantages in speed and accuracy when it was needed most, and enjoyed his best round of the fight late in Round 10 when he sat down on his punches and buckled the durable Algieri with a pair of left hands.

3. Algieri acted like he belonged

He's one of social media's most polarizing figures in boxing, with his often irrational confidence and overused buzzwords that have become hashtags. But Algieri backed up every single ounce of self-belief with a gritty, aggressive performance -- the kind that should rightfully silence any remaining "cage" jokes lingering from his six-knockdown defeat to Manny Pacquiao last November. Algieri gets the most out of his ability and clearly maxed himself out against Khan, using his size advantage to aggressively stalk him while nearly matching him in total punches landed.

4. John David Jackson, you the real MVP

Jackson, the former junior middleweight titlist who also trains unified light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev, presented Algieri with an entirely new style and game plan in their first fight together. The results were very impressive, with Algieri setting a tone in the opening round when he momentarily staggered Khan with a looping right hand. Algieri had been open about his regret for the way he fought against Pacquiao under former coach Tim Lane, essentially giving away the first four rounds in hopes of coming on aggressively late. The game plan Algieri employed on Friday, however, was a much better use of his entre skill set, even if he has never been known as a big puncher. Jackson had Algieri aggressively looking to land power shots from the outside along with consistently focusing on the body. Algieri looked like a completely different fighter from the one fans had seen in his two highest-profile bouts to date (against Pacquiao and Ruslan Provodnikov) and much closer to the "master boxer" philosophy he adheres to.

5. Fortuna-Vasquez was the perfect TV fight

Javier Fortuna and Bryan Vasquez let their hands go for the majority of the 12 rounds on Friday in a battle for a vacant 130-pound title. It wasn't the prettiest fight, but with alternating pockets of action it was extremely fun at times. Fortuna sat down on his punches and stood toe-to-toe with Vasquez early before switching gears and outboxing him over the second half of the fight to take home a unanimous decision (116-112, 117-111 twice). Neither fighter was likely known by any casual fans tuning in to the PBC on this night, but they both came to win with something tangible (albeit a secondary alphabet trinket) at stake. This is what TV openers are all about. Let's hope we see more of the same.
 

Source:  espn.go.com/blog/boxing/post/_/id/5532/khan-algieri-five-things-we-learned

Chris Algieri no pushover but Amir Khan gets the win in Brooklyn

Michael Woods  -  ringtv.craveonline.com

Drama dripped from the rafters at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Saturday night after a main event saw Amir Khan and Chris Algieri neck and neck through 12 rounds of welterweight action. Those predicting another beatdown at the hands of a star had to eat their words; Algieri was in it to win it, his reflexes and coordination were comparable to Khan’s.

There were no knockdowns and a power punch or two was the difference in many rounds.

The judges saw it 115-113, 117-111, 117-111 for Khan. A roar ensued when the scores were read and it was hard to parse the meaning behind it … but not so the hoots and boos which popped up quickly. Algieri fans, and people who became fans as a result of his top-tier showing, showed their displeasure at the arbiters’ call.

The stakes were unspoken, but clear; a win kept Khan on the inside track to get that lottery ticket guarantee, a date with the “Money” man of boxing, Floyd Mayweather Jr. A loss would make him an impossible sell to “fans” seeking a worthy foe to give Mayweather a test, if not have him taste defeat. For Algieri, a win meant no more cage jokes, and a continued presence on big stages, and collecting fat checks.

Khan, the Brit loved and loathed by the tabloids in the U.K., came in with a 30-3 mark, with 19 knockouts. He has been matched the last few years against non-bomber types, like the New Yorker, who came in 20-1 with just 8 KOs.

The 31-year-old Algieri rooters hoped that the addition of sage John David Jackson to his corner would prove a difference-maker and forestall another situation such as what occurred late last year, when Algieri got knocked around in a loss to Manny Pacquiao.

Team Algieri told us they wanted to target that iffy Khan chin, which Breidis Prescott and Danny Garcia had luck in denting. Ah, but that last stoppage loss came three years ago, and Khan, 28,  felt that his defensive shortcomings were attended to by new trainer Virgil Hunter.

In the first, the action was solid. Khan’s combos worked well but a straight right from Algieri got his attention late. The speed and accuracy of Khan’s hands stood out. He did use a couple headlocks to blunt charges, though.

In Round 2, Khan used his feet to set the tone. He kept the distance he wanted, used a jab, some sharp rights, took the round. Algieri edged forward with an aggressive tone but had trouble getting a bead on the clever Brit.

In the third, it was a solid action round. Pressure from Algieri, and counters with both hands, got Amir’s attention. In Round 4, we saw Khan moving forward some, not letting Algieri back him up so much. But the L.I. boxer felt bold; he was able to land some power shots, his reflexes and his coordination matched up well to the Brit’s.

In the fifth, Khan landed and, when he felt like it, grabbed. Khan went down, but it was ruled a slip. The New Yorker wanted to land a home-run right, but had some luck with wide shots to the body. His right eye was scuffed up some by now.

In Round 6, Amir held ground, edged forward. A left hook just missed from Algieri, and he kept the pressure on, though Khan played the slippery eel.

On to Round 7 … Khan used the jab to keep Algieri at bay. He slid left, not worrying about a power right. A wrasslin’ match broke out in the corner. Tight round, neither man pulled away. Another tight one in the eighth – Algieri might have landed two more power punches in the frame. In Round 9, Algieri pressed, looked to time Khan; he wanted that quick right to be a heartbreaker. A Khan flurry had Algieri pointing to him going low. The energy was in the Algieri corner now.

To Round 10 … Algieri scored with a little body work, then he got tagged. He shrugged off a sharp left – whatev! – and got back to pressuring. In the 11th, Khan mostly moved right. NY scored with a left to the body, and trainer JDJ kept on waving him forward. Guess what … another tight round.

In Round 12 the energy was high, the action was close, hard to differentiate. We’d go to the cards.
 

Source:  ringtv.craveonline.com/news/390557-chris-algieri-no-pushover-but-amir-khan-gets-the-win-in-brooklyn