Pacquiao’s Next Opponent Chris Algieri: Things You Have To Know

American professional boxer Chris Algieri gestures during an interview at Venetian Macao in Macau August 25, 2014. Algieri will fight for the WBO welterweight title against Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines at the Venetian's Cotai Arena in Macau on November 22, 2014. Reuters

Chris Algieri will face Manny Pacquiao on Nov. 22 at the Cotai Arena at the Venetian Macao in Macau, China. When it was announced that Algieri will be Pacquiao's next opponent, many people raised their eyebrows and were reportedly confused why the eight-division world champion chose to fight him. Here are a few things about Algieri that you might want to know.

20-0 Record

Algieri has a perfect record. He won in all the 20 bouts that he had taken part in, 18 of which were won by knockouts. He last fought Ruslan Provodnikov in June where he won the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) Light Welterweight Title via split decision. His fight against Pacquiao will be his third bout for the year 2014.

Multi-racial, Bilingual

Algieri is mixed race. He is of Italian and Argentine descent. According to Max Boxing, Algieri's mother is a native of Argentine, while his father is a native of Italy. He speaks English and Spanish. He has sparred with Marcos Maidana in the past and has spoken the Spanish language very well, since Maidana doesn't really speak the American language.

Kickboxer

Algieri competed 20 times in professional kickboxing. He was a champion at 147 and 154 weight classes.

College Degrees

Algieri reportedly turned professional at a young age of 19 years old. He balanced his interest in sports scholastically. He obtained a bachelor's degree in healthcare science from Stony Brook University, the top public university in New York as ranked by numerous publications. He also received a master's degree in clinical nutrition from the New York Institute of Technology. In 2012, he worked as a clinical nutritionist, as reported by Max Boxing.

Currently, Algieri is on tour with Pacquiao for their November bout. The press tour included stops at San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York in the U.S. They have also previously travelled to Shanghai and Macau. New York is the final city that the fighters will visit before they head toward their respective training camps.

On Sept. 4, Algierit tweeted a photo of him with his New York supporters.

Finally in #NewYork pic.twitter.com/zvpar6YnEi
— Chris Algieri (@ChrisAlgieri) September 4, 2014

Despite being the underdog, Algieri remains calm and simple hopes to stun the people when he steps on the boxing ring on Nov. 22. "It's fun to me that people don't know who I am yet," Algieri told the Los Angeles Times. He said the same thing has happened when he fought Pacquiao's former sparring mate Provodnikov.

"People thought I was the fodder, it never broke me, I'm self-assured."