Manny Pacquiao Blasted For Arrogance, Playing Basketball Month Before Fight Against Chris Algieri

It was a busy weekend for Manny Pacquiao but not because of his usual day job, boxing but to play and coach for a local professional basketball team in the Philippines. The Filipino pugilist made his hoops debut in his home country and the move was criticised by a popular boxing analyst and even his opponent in his next fight, Chris Algieri.

Kevin Iole, a sports columnist for Yahoo Sports, called out Pacquiao for his arrogance by playing in the competitive basketball game roughly a month before his fight against undefeated American Algieri in Macau on Nov. 22, 2014.

“A sprained ankle is exactly the kind of injury that Manny Pacquiao risked when he played seven minutes as a player-coach for the Kia Sorento in the Philippine Basketball Association,” Iole stated in his Oct. 20 article contending that playing last Sunday he put at risk the possibility that he may get seriously injured and in effect put in danger the bout against Algieri and all other undercard fights scheduled.

Pacquiao in post-game interviews after the basketball game declared that he will now return to boxing full time to continue the training camp for the Algieri fight and will only return to playing for and coaching the basketball team after the November bout in Macau.

Iole’s worries proved unfounded as Manny Pacquiao wasn’t injured and played just under seven minutes for his team, KIA Sorento in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Pacquiao is known for his speed and power on top of the squared ring but he showed none of it looking like an amateur among professional basketball players and logged in zero points on zero attempts, two turnovers and a single personal foul in limited playing time.

That did not stop others from criticising him and one of the critics is Algieri, who called out Manny Pacquiao for his decision to suit up in the game with the boxing match a few weeks away.

"I don't know if it's arrogance or just silly and stupid," Algieri said via the Iole article. The 30-year-old American, who is undefeated in 20 fights, will reportedly earn $2.75 million for the November date with Manny Pacquiao his highest ever payday in his boxing career.

"A lot of people ask me about his basketball and if that's what he chooses to do, that's fine. As long as he doesn't get hurt, I don't really care.”

Manny Pacquiao is known for his passion for basketball supporting teams like the San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The 35-year-old Pacquiao even joined the Golden State Warriors camp in the recent offseason. Pacquiao also owns the MP Hotel Warriors, a team in the PBA Developmental League.

Iole and Algieri are not the only critics of Pacquiao for playing basketball, even Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach and Top Rank president Bob Arum, preferred that their boxer did not see action in the basketball league as it could affect preparations for future fights and even endanger his boxing career.

Boxing fans— both supporters and critics of Manny Pacquiao— are also worried that the Filipino pugilist may not be taking the dangerous Chris Algieri seriously and that Pacquiao may be overlooking the American for the fight in November.