Exclusive Chris Algieri interview: Hungry to recapture world title

Chris Algieri was stopped by Errol Spence Jr. in 2016, but after more than two years of inactivity, he hopes to become a world champion once again.

In 2014, Chris Algieri (21-3, 8 KOs) survived two knockdowns in the first round to rally and defeat Ruslan Provodnikov by unanimous decision to win the WBO super lightweight title. He relinquished the title to move up to welterweight. The move up didn’t go as expected and he lost to Errol Spence Jr. by TKO in 2016. He hasn’t fought since, but he’s ready to attempt another climb to championship status.

Algieri proved he had heart against Provodnikov. By the end of the bout, his right eye was completely swollen shut. It was a blood and guts battle, but he fought well enough to earn a split decision and the title. The three losses on his record all came at welterweight and against big names. He lost unanimous decisions to Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan before his last fight against Spence.

The bout against Spence wasn’t pretty. He was dropped twice in the fourth round and once more in the fifth before the referee stopped the contest. Algieri hasn’t fought in over two years, but his desire to fight hasn’t waned a bit. Algieri talked to FanSided about his reasons for not boxing and why he’s ready to re-enter boxing.

"My passion and my desire to be a champion, it never left me. Everyone’s talking about this as a comeback, but I really felt like I never left. It just wasn’t the greatest opportunities for me at the time. I had some other troubles going on—some of them physical some of them legal and contractual. It kept me from being able to compete. The desire never left me. For me, this is the same as I was here before. I want to be a world champion and that’s the ultimate goal."

Just because Algieri hasn’t fought professionally since 2016 doesn’t mean that he’s been away from the sport.

On the contrary, Algieri’s involvement in boxing has been a constant in his life. Algieri has a masters degree in clinical nutrition, and he’s a nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach. He has multiple clients, but his biggest customer is IBF middleweight champion, Daniel Jacobs.

“I’ve been working in Daniel Jacobs’ camp as his chief nutritionist as well as an assistant to Andre Rozier in the corner,” Algieri said. “I do his strength and conditioning. I’ve worked with Sullivan Barrera, who just had a win a couple weekends ago.”

He also works with several UFC fighters and other boxers. His life as a nutritionist has consumed him while not boxing professionally.

“That’s kept me pretty busy since I’ve been out of the ring, but at the same time has kept me very much involved in the sport and in boxing in general,” Algieri said.

In some ways, being part of a training team instead of a fighter has helped Algieri grow mentally as a boxer.

"I think it has increased my ring I.Q. quite a bit. When you have to be so analytical from the outside looking in, you tend to apply it when you’re inside the ropes as well. I’ve definitely noticed that in the gym, and the people around me have noticed that too. I’m doing a lot of things in the ring that guys are pointing out like “that move you did or you’re doing so many different things in there” because I’ve got a different eye now. I’ve been analyzing the sport in a different way and now I’m able to apply it to my own craft."

At 34 years old, Agieri faces an uphill battle if he again wants to challenge for a world title. Most boxers drastically deteriorate when they hit their 30s, and Algieri lost three of his last four fights. That statistic isn’t as concerning as one might think for several reasons. Going into his previous bout with Spence, Algieri was far from fully healthy.

"I had some issues with my knee, which was bothering me for a couple of camps. It was a major issue in my training camp for my last fight against Errol Spence. I didn’t have the movement that I’ve always been known for. I had a pretty serious injury to it just before the fight. I had surgery immediately after the fight. About four days after the bout, I was getting my knee scoped. That took some time to recover to the point where I felt really comfortable enough to resume my career. Going into the ring at less than 100 percent is dangerous."

Torn knee cartilage disrupted his performance against Spence, but that issue is entirely resolved. The other factor that impacted Algieri in his three losses was weight. He moved up to welterweight for lucrative paydays against iconic boxers. He’s best as a super lightweight.

“I’m undefeated at 140,” Algieri explained. “Welterweight was never really a division I needed to move up to. I just had great opportunities there. I’m just not a welterweight. My body’s better served for the junior welterweight division.”

Algieri begins the next chapter of his boxing career on Friday, Nov. 30 against Angel Hernandez (14-11-2, 8 KOs). Hernandez isn’t a big name or impressive on paper, but he offers Algieri a chance to wade back into competition. He’s a small step in what Algieri hopes will turn into a second act.

“If I don’t see myself being a world champion in the division, then I’m either in the wrong division or in the wrong sport,” Algieri said. “I’m not here just to get wins. I’m here to be one of the best in the world.”