Chris Algieri out to prove he's no gatekeeper in NBC main event vs. Errol Spence Jr.

NEW YORK - Chris Algieri wants you to know he's no gatekeeper, and he's right.

He's a former champion in the prime of his career who just gave Amir Khan hell. Sure, he was dominated by Manny Pacquiao and knocked down six times in the bout. Most fighters can't hang with the future Hall of Famer.

Just ask Timothy Bradley, who was sitting squarely in the top 10 of pound-for-pound lists before Pacquiao handled him yet again last weekend.

But there sat Algieri one month ago as one media member asked if he was now a gatekeeper heading into his fight with uber prospect Errol Spence Jr.. The Long Island native was none too happy.

Algieri, 31, has a chip on his shoulder and rightfully so. He's always counted out. He was given little chance when he shocked Ruslan Provodnikov to win a title at 140 pounds. Khan would destroy Algieri, they said. Not so.

Now working with top-flight trainer John David Jackson, Algieri looked like an improved fighter in his last two outings and is beyond confident he will acquit himself well against massive favorite Spence Jr. on Saturday at Brooklyn's Barclays Center (8:30 p.m., NBC).

"I don't think I've gotten the respect that I deserve throughout much of my career," Algieri (21-2, 8 KOs) told USA TODAY Sports on Thursday. "Maybe it's because of where I'm from or the way that I look or the way that I act - I'm not supposed to be a fighter.

"Doesn't really matter, because at the end of the day I go out there and I perform and more often than not I come away with the victories."

Indeed, Algieri isn't like other fighters. The vast majority of boxers never went to college. Algieri owns a bachelor's degree in premedical healthcare sciences from Stony Brook University and a master's in clinical nutrition from NYIT.

SPENCE: Rising 26-year-old looks to take big step forward

The former kickboxing champion puts his knowledge to good use, even though he's fighting for a living. He cooks all his own meals, formulates the recipes and even develops the macronutrient profiles.

In a day-and-age where most top athletes employ live-in chefs, Algieri is easily able to stay on track with his diet between training camps. "It makes me a young 32," he said. "My age, my stage of my career; I'm relatively clean and fresh."

The book on Algieri is that he owns little power in both hands, a criticism he takes exception to. He points out that while many fighters were pampered on the way up and were able to learn how to knock opponents out, he was in tough fights.

Algieri was able to wobble Khan on several occasions, and astutely notes that while the Brit is known for having a weak chin, he'd never been buzzed at 147 pounds.

"I've never have someone walk through me and there's a reason for that," Algieri said. "The reason for that is they've been hit and they couldn't. I hit hard enough."

Spence, while he hasn't been tested, is considered a special fighter. He possesses all the tools to be a future champion and perhaps even something far greater. But is it too much, too soon for the 26-year-old?

"I do believe so," Algieri said. "Even when he's taken minimal steps up in competition, he's shown a little bit of trepidation when it came to what he had in front of him and I think this is a huge leap up in class.

"I've beaten guys like this before; I'm looking forward to doing it again."

(Photo by Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment/PBC)