Manny Pacquiao Next Fight 2014, Net Worth & News: Chris Algieri Lives in Parents' Basement
The next opponent of Manny Pacquiao still lives in the basement of his parents' house in Long Island, New York. This was the interesting fact revealed by HBO's prefight 24/7 special on Chris Algieri.
USA Today reports that the 30-year-old American boxer's basement room has a small bed, a treadmill, free weights and a double end bag which he uses to train when he is just staying at home.
Algieri is set to face Pacquiao on November 22 in Macau, and USA Today says the latter has not yet faced an opponent "quite like Algieri." It noted that the American fighter is a former kickboxer who shifted to boxing in 2008. He sealed a fight with the Filipino champ when he defeated Ruslan Provodnikov last June.
Provodnikov did not give Algieri an easy fight as Newsday noted. The boxer's right eye was already very swollen after he won in a split-decision.
Chris's victory was even questioned by many as they claimed that the Russian fighter landed more punches than Algieri. But the American boxer told Newsday that he doesn't let criticism affect him, adding that now he is more focused on winning.
"I don't relish shutting up critics. I don't think people believe me when I say, 'I don't care what people think.' It doesn't matter. I matter. Ruslan matters. Manny matters. People who tell me I lost the fight, I don't care what you think...For me, it's good my coaches [Tim Lane and Keith Trimble] were recognized for coming out of nowhere, but I don't have to say, 'I told you so.' I just like to win. It was about being 20-0, not getting a title or beating Ruslan or fighting on HBO. I wanted to win," he added.
The Newsday report also discussed that there is more to Algieri that meets the eye. Aside from the fact that he is still under the same roof as his parents, the fighter is also a classical trained boxer who finished a bachelor's degree in Health Sciences and a master's degree in Clinical Nutrition.
He also has a closely-knit family where he draws inspiration from. His parents reportedly pushed him to really give importance on his education and that of his siblings. Algieri, according to Newsday, also grew up in a very sporty environment with him engaging in baseball, basketball and swimming.
He later on figured out that his love for self-defense when his parents enrolled him in a karate class.
"I had to internalize a lot of things, focus on my inner self and be disciplined. It taught me things I use in every aspect of my life. I liked the physical contact when we sparred. I wanted to hit people hard and be in fights. I was just always that way," he said in the Newsday article.