Last night, these terrific boxers put on a show and had the crowd going wild at the Barclays Center.
The Barclays Center is quickly starting to become another center for boxing. Last night, it hosted a few fights but the headliner fights were the talk of the town. It featured Bryan Vasquez vs Javier Fortuna, which was a great way to lead into Amir Khan vs Chris Algieri. Fortuna won the match but the topic of the night was Khan vs Algieri. Khan won last’s night match.
In an interview with Black Sports Online, Algieri did say that Khan’s corner would be in for a surprise and that they were. The fans in the stands were also shocked with how much both boxers fought. Algieri came out with his fists of fury. Even during the post fight press conference, Khan was stunned when it came to Algieri’s performance.
“I give Chris a lot of credit. He came forward a lot more than we thought he would and he had a big chin tonight. Chris gave it his all tonight. This is the best Algieri we’ve seen in a long time, and if he’d have fought Manny (Pacquiao) that way he might have won.”
The fight itself was a spectacle to see. If you were upset at Mayweather vs Pacquiao’s match, this was the fight to see because these boxers gave it their all in the ring. Algieri and Khan didn’t back down from one another. If it wasn’t Algieri’s right arm catching Khan unexpectedly, it was Khan’s speed and agility that we couldn’t seem to keep up with. There was a point where Khan looked vulnerable during round 5 but he quickly caught up again.
During Chris Algieri’s post fight conference, you can tell that he took defeat quite alright.
“I thought I pressured Khan well and got my touches. He definitely didn’t like it when I got into his body.”
“I thought I hurt him several times, but Khan’s a cagey fighter and he spins off. I guess the judges liked that tonight. I would think the cleaner, harder shots would get a little more respect.”
Will we see Amir Khan face off with Floyd Mayweather next? Khan was daring enough to call him out when he won the fight but said that it’s up to the promoters and everyone else to put it together. That’ll require tougher training because Mayweather in the ring will be tough to beat.
