Star Boxing president Joe DeGuardia says that Chris Algieri “clearly established himself as a legitimate contender” in the welterweight division in spite of the 12-round decision loss to Amir Khan last Friday night at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
In the most aggressive performance of his 22-fight professional career, Algieri was moving forward throughout the 12-round tilt, putting the pressure on Khan from the outset. It was a courageous effort for the Long Island product during an action-packed tilt which went to the judges’ scorecards. Joe Pasquale and Benoit Roussel both scored the fight 117-111. But Don Ackerman’s card had it much closer – 115-113 – and many ringside observers, and those watching on television, scored it that close.
Algieri fought with purpose and aggression, and the statistics provided byCompuBox after the fight indicated that. Algieri threw 703 punches, landing 199, while Khan was 218 for 609. In the power punch department, the totals were 145 of 433 for Algieri compared to 154 of 333 for Khan.
“I thought I did great pressuring him,” Algieri said. “I got my touches in. He definitely didn’t like it when I got into his body. I thought I hurt him several times. But Khan is a cagey guy, and he spun off. I guess the judges liked that. I thought the cleaner, harder shots would get more respect.”
Khan praised Algieri following the decision saying: “I give Chris a lot of credit. He came forward more than I expected.”
DeGuardia says that he will evaluate the timing and possible opponents for Algieri’s next fight in the days and weeks ahead.
