Manny Pacquiao targets Floyd Mayweather fight after Algieri win
- Published
Manny Pacquiao has targeted a showdown with five-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather after retaining his WBO welterweight title in Macau on Sunday.
The Filipino eight-weight world champion knocked down unbeaten American challenger Chris Algieri six times during the 12-round contest.
Now the 35-year-old wants to strike a deal to finally meet Mayweather after repeated failures to agree a bout.
"I want that fight," he said. "The fans deserve that fight."
Filipino Pacquiao and American Mayweather, 37, are widely considered the best fighters of their generation but have never fought.
One stumbling block has been Mayweather's insistence on a strict blood-testing programme, external during training.
Against Algieri, Pacquiao registered his 57th win from 64 bouts.
The 30-year-old challenger withstood two knockdowns against Russian Ruslan Provodnikov in his previous fight but he wilted in the face of the champion's power.
Algieri was on the canvas in the second round when a punch forced him to slip, then fell against four rounds later, before suffering a third tumble following a right hook.
"It's not just his hand speed - he's a great fighter. He does everything well," said the former kickboxer. "I was never hurt, but he did catch me with a big shot."
Three more knockdowns followed, with Pacquiao's thudding left-hand connection in the ninth putting Algieri to his back before the American dropped to his knees from a follow-up.
Another Pacquiao left-hander in round 10 felled him but he staggered through bravely to the final bell.
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