Algieri looks to give Jacobs nutritional edge
WHEN it’s all said and done, Chris Algieri’s biggest achievements in boxing might not be the championships he wins, but the mouths he feeds.
The former WBO junior welterweight champion from Huntington, Long Island, has hit pause on his own boxing career to put his expertise in nutrition to use. Algieri is serving as the performance nutrition coach for Danny Jacobs in preparation for his middleweight championship fight against Gennady Golovkin on March 18 at Madison Square Garden.
Algieri, 32, already is the head performance nutrition coach at Stony Brook University, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Clinical Nutrition. He also is certified by the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Algieri has advised a number of boxers and MMA fighters in recent years, but Jacobs fighting on this stage is his highest profile assignment.
“Daniel is a wonderful guy to work with and someone I have known for a long time in a personal capacity,” Algieri said. “To work with him professionally has been a joy.”
Algieri hasn’t fought since losing to Errol Spence in April 2016. He said he was approached by the Jacobs team to “step up” the fighter’s level of preparation for the muchanticipated bout with the hardpunching Golovkin. Algieri is entrenched in the Jacobs camp in Hayward, Calif., where the Brooklyn native is training under Virgil Hunter and Andre Rozier. Algieri plans and cooks all meals, joins Jacobs for his daily road work and watches all sparring sessions.
It’s an all-encompassing role that boils down to one primary objective: “It’s to fuel Danny properly so he can train at a much higher level than he was used to doing,” Algieri said.
Jacobs (32-1, 29 KOs) is nicknamed the Miracle Man because he beat spinal cancer and a prognosis that he would never fight again. He has since won the regular WBA middleweight title and is center stage in a HBO pay-per-view unification bout against Golovkin (36-0, 33 KOs).
Algieri said he is confident he can help Jacobs be the best he can be on March 18 by feeding him the right fuel. He talked about proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, amino acids and how important “timing” is to all this.
“Everybody is on the same mental path, and it’s all about a victory,” Algieri said. “He has picked up his intensity and the volume of his workload. We’ve increased his nutrition to make sure he’s recovering as fast as possible.”
At his core, Algieri (21-3, 8 KOs) is still a fighter, and he knows what Jacobs is going through physically and mentally. Jacobs is open to his input, and Algieri said he offers “little tweaks here and there” from watching Jacobs’ sparring session.
Jacobs will be an underdog against Golovkin, but Algieri beat Ruslan Provodnikov for the junior welterweight title at Barclays Center in 2014 when no one thought he could win. He said he is confident Jacobs can do the same.
“Danny is the underdog and probably rightfully so just because of what GGG’s been up to lately,” Algieri said. “But in terms of the other contenders out there, Danny presents the best style in order to beat him. He’s a long, rangy middleweight, who has very good boxing skills and is supremely conditioned.”
The NYSAC has yet to rule whether Angel Garcia will be licensed to serve as his son’s trainer for Danny Garcia’s welterweight unification fight against Keith Thurman on March 4 at Barclays Center.
The commission met with the elder Garcia this week to review his application and discuss his behavior during a Jan. 18 press conference at Barclays Center. Garcia screamed profane and vulgar language at Thurman, nearly triggering a melee.
The commission clearly is not happy with Garcia’s actions and lack of voiced remorse. There is no indication when a decision will be made, with a source saying only that it will come “before the March 4 event.”