It’s one of the basic tenets of boxing: A guy doesn't get knocked down a half-dozen times by an aging legend, then come back in his next bout and give a top contender all he can handle. Apparently, Chris Algieri was absent the day this theory was taught in Boxing 101.
12 Rounds of Christmas - Round 8
Six months after a lopsided loss to Manny Pacquiao in which he hit the deck six times, Chris Algieri bounced back strong on May 29 when he brought the fight to Amir Khan throughout their entertaining 147-pound clash in Brooklyn, New York.
The action really intensified in the eighth round, which began in earnest at the 20-second mark when Algieri—rising from a crouch—drilled Khan with a roundhouse right to the face.
One of the hardest punches in a night full of them, the shot buckled Khan's knees ever so slightly, but he never let on that he was hurt. If anything, the punch served as a wake-up call, and Khan wasn’t about to hit the snooze button.
After Algieri followed up his big blow with a couple of stiff jabs, Khan got to work, landing a clean power combination at the one-minute mark. From there, the two put on a 120-second boxing clinic, exchanging in the center of the ring and against the ropes, fighting in close and at range, and landing jabs and power punches to the head and body.
Khan ended up winning the round on two of the three judges' scorecards, which helped propel him to a 12-round unanimous decision, but Algieri gained a ton of respect in defeat.
After his disappointing showing against Pacquiao, the Huntington, New York, native needed to re-establish himself as a world-class fighter who could go toe-to-toe with a respected opponent in a loaded division. Algieri more than did that, giving Khan a stiff test when few outside of his inner circle thought he could.
For a complete recap of Khan vs Algieri, visit our fight page. And to view the entire 12 Rounds of Christmas series, head over to our video page.
Amir Khan cracks Chris Algieri with a right to the jaw during their May 29 bout in Brooklyn, New York. Both fighters connected with big shots all night, especially in an action-packed eighth round. (Lucas Noonan/Premier Boxing Champions)
