Manny Paquiao's next fight preparations have been questioned by Bob Arum, as the Top Rank chief believes his most prized ward cannot do both basketball and boxing.
Manny Pacquiao's next fight is slated against undefeated WBO light welterweight champion Chris Algieri on November 22, at the Venetian Casino and Resort in Asia's new boxing mecca, Macau, China.
With still three months away from the fight, viewers including fans and fellow fighters alike have deemed Manny Pacquiao as the heavy favorite. Former rival Juan Manuel Marquez even went as far as predicting a knockout victory for the eight-division world champion.
"He barely has a chance to win," Marquez told Boxingscene. "Algieri is strong and he's durable. He also has boxing ability as shown against Ruslan Provodnikov but he doesn't have the style to beat Pacquiao- who has great speed and power."
"I believe that (Pacquiao) can win by knockout," he added.
Chris Algieri will be coming in as a +800 underdog for Manny Pacquiao's next fight. Freddie Roach, who usually studies upcoming opponents thoroughly, supported the fight odds and downplayed the match-up they are up against.
"His style, he's a bit of a runner," Roach said in a separate interview. "Pacquiao doesn't particularly like fighting guys who run so much. "We'll figure out a way to beat him. It's not a problem."
Manny Pacquiao, for his part, is coming off a dominant victory over Timothy Bradley in April. During his time off, he managed to enlist himself in the draft pick of the Philippine Basketball Association. This, apart from his duties as a Congressman in the Philippines will be adding up to his already busy schedule.
While the opposition presents very little threat to a fighter like Manny Pacquiao, promoter Bob Arum still dislikes the idea of his most prized ward being engaged in two sports at the same time.
"He can't do both (boxing and basketball)," said Arum told Philippine publication The Manila Bulletin in a report by Bad Left Hook. "We'll talk to Manny if it is possible that he spend six weeks in Los Angeles."
