Greenlawn’s Chris Algieri gets back in win column
Chris Algieri (R) lands a right to Erick Bone of Ecuador during their Welterweight bout on December 5, 2015. Credit: Getty Images / Al Bello
The evolution of Greenlawn welterweight Chris Algieri continued as his second fight under trainer John David Jackson produced an impressive 10-round unanimous decision victory over Ecuador’s game Erick Bone last night at Barclays Center. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Algieri and kept him alive for bigger things in one of boxing’s toughest divisions.
Algieri (21-2, 8 KOs) broke the fight open with an eighth-round knockdown of Bone (16-3, 8 KOs) on a right-hand body shot. He followed up with an overwhelming ninth-round display in which he connected on 45 of 100 punches, most of them power shots.
Judge Julie Lederman gave Algieri a narrow 95-94 decision, awarding the final round to Bone, but judges Ron McNair and Steve Weisfeld both had it 97-92 for Algieri, who was a 98-91 winner on Newsday’s card.
“I did exactly what my corner told me not to do,” Algieri said. “They didn’t want me to get too excited. Bone is a hell of a fighter, and I probably fought on the inside too much. I was getting revved up and had to calm down as the fight progressed.”
According to Compubox, Algieri connected with 247 punches to 185 for Bone, but the difference was especially pronounced in Algieri’s 206-158 advantage in power punching. Bone managed to produce a welt under Algieri’s left eye, but the former WBO welterweight champion was too strong on the inside for Bone.
Often fighting out of a clinch, Algieri worked to the body and came up to the head to land his most effective shots. “He fought a good fight,” Jackson said of Algieri. “It was a workman-like performance for 10 hard rounds. He needed a fight like this.”
Just over a year ago, Algieri suffered six knockdowns while losing a unanimous decision to Manny Pacquiao in Macau, China. Algieri replaced Tim Lane with Jackson as his trainer, but he jumped back into a tough spot in May, losing a unanimous decision to former champion Amir Khan.
Jackson worked to develop Algieri’s power. “That was the game plan,” Jackson said. “He worked to the body and walked this kid down. Bone was definitely dying.”
It might not have been as spectacular as Algieri hoped, but as he said, “It was nice to get back in the win column.”
Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.
