Algieri makes weight on second try for Pacquiao fight
MACAU — Chris Algieri suffered an embarrassing mishap ahead of his fight with Manny Pacquiao when he missed the 144-pound weight limit on Friday night, though he later got under the mark.
Less than an hour before tipping the scales Algieri boasted that he was so comfortably within the limit that he could enjoy a hearty breakfast of fruit, cereal and noodles, sending out a tweet including a photo of his meal, plus the hashtags #ChampionLifestyle and #makingweightright.
But Algieri was 0.4 pounds over when he initially appeared on the stage at the Venetian Macao's Cotai Arena , while Pacquiao was inside the limit at 143.8.
Even after stripping naked and removing a chunky neck chain, Algieri was still 0.2 too heavy, meaning he was given a two-hour window to shed the remaining weight.
He came back to a deserted arena around 40 minutes later, recorded a weight of 143.6 pounds and promptly defended his preparation for the bout, which will take place on Saturday night, U.S. time.
"I wanted to be close to the limit, and I would rather eat and feel good than be all sucked up and drained," Algieri said. "But it is strange because I weighed in on the limit on the same set of scales in the hotel. Maybe the scales were affected when they were brought over to the arena."
Fighters prefer to rehydrate immediately after the weigh-in and it remains to be seen how the New Yorker's energy in the ring may be affected by his enforced extra time spent cutting weight.
"It is pretty embarrassing for him," said Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach. "He is supposed to be a health and nutrition expert."
Indeed, Algieri has a Master's degree in clinical nutrition and has insisted that his scientific approach will give him an advantage against Pacquiao, a strong favorite for the contest.
"It is disappointing," Pacquiao said, and claimed that he believed Algieri already looked "drained" when the pair faced off after weighing in.
During the interim period, as Algieri retreated to his locker room in an attempt to burn off the excess weight, while his promoter Joe DaGuardia tried to explain away the mistake.
"It is not what we wanted," DaGuardia said. "But we are confident and ready and we are not going to worry about this."
If Algieri had been unable to get to 144 pounds within the additional time limit, he would have been in breach of his fight contract and subject to a series of penalties, including possibly having to forfeit a portion of his purse.
Fight promoter Bob Arum said the margin of the extra weight was small enough that it could have been overlooked had it not been for the insistence of Roach and Pacquiao's advisor Michael Koncz that Algieri be required to hit the stipulated limit.
Algieri, a former kickboxer, has won all 20 of his professional fights, but is facing a serious step up in class against Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KO), who is seeking to prove a point and further increase the public clamor for a clash between himself and Floyd Mayweather.
Follow Martin Rogers on Twitter @mrogersUSAT.
PREVIEW: MANNY PACQUIAO VS. CHRIS ALGIERI
