Chris Algieri: Who's next?
Chris Algieri of Huntington, left, fights Mike Arnaoutis of Astoria at the Paramount Theatre. (July 20, 2013) Credit: Mike Stobe
Could we see Chris Algieri squaring off against WBO junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov on HBO in May?
It’s something Star Boxing promotions boss Joe DeGuardia told Newsday’s Bobby Cassidy last week is a possibility.
Algieri (19-0) expanded his national profile after scoring a unanimous-decision win (97-93, 97-93, 98-92) over highly regarded prospect Emanuel Taylor in last Friday's ESPN Friday Night Fights card. Taylor (17-2) was rated sixth in the most recent IBF rankings.
It was his biggest win to date for Algieri, who said it was against a "good opponent on a big, national stage."
Securing a title fight for Algieri in the near future is the next logical step for DeGuardia.
Algieri, a former kickboxing champion, regularly fights in front of sold out audiences at the Paramount. He’s been a headline fighter on two different networks (NBC Sports Network, ESPN 2) and has a story that is just made for a national TV audience.
The St. Anthony’s high school graduate, who already has a bachelor’s degree from Stony Brook in healthcare science and a master's degree from NYIT in clinical nutrition, plans on going to medical school when his boxing career is over.
But before he trades in his boxing gloves for a hospital scrubs, first things first. Algieri wants a world title. A fight against Provodnikov would obviously give Algieri the opportunity he wants.
If HBO or Provodnikov’s people aren’t sold on a bout against Algieri, there are several other possibilities for DeGuardia to explore.
Mike Alvarado, Paulie Malignaggi, Zab Judah could all be on the short list for Algieri. You can probably add Lucas Matthysse to that list, too.
With no strained relationships between DeGuardia and any other promoters or networks, anything is possible for Algieri.
