Chris Algieri earns respect in defeat

Former world champion Chris Algieri can hold his high after losing a very close, or what should have been a close, decision against Amir Khan last night at the Barclay's Center. Algieri came in as a huge underdog, mostly laughed at by boxing fans stating that he had no business being in the right with Amir Khan after his poor performance against Manny Pacquiao. Many felt that he didn't deserve to be in the ring with Khan. While two scores had it 117-111 for Khan, most people with any sort of sense had it much closer.

The last laugh though belonged to Algieri who at times had a Canelo/Cotto type style of fighting as he came forward landing power shots against Khan. Khan had a hard time keeping Algieri at bay even with his speed advantage. Algieri weathered punch after punch, stunning Khan a few times, and showing the fans in attendance and at home that he was there to fight. Most important of all was in the end he was widely recognized as a winner, maybe not in the fight, but in the heart's of fans. The general consensus was that the Pacquiao loss was miles behind him. Fans are very interested to see who he steps into the ring with next, which is very different than after the Pacquiao fight, where they never wanted to see him again.