NEW YORK – Chris Algieri took an important step Tuesday night toward securing the type of higher-profile fight he wants during this comeback.

The former WBO junior welterweight champion mostly looked sharp in his first fight in more than two years. Algieri was far busier than veteran southpaw Mikkel LesPierre, whom Algieri unanimously out-pointed in their 10-round, 144-pound bout on Triller Fight Club’s Michael Hunter-Mike Wilson undercard at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater.

Two judges – Robin Taylor and Steve Weisfeld – scored all 10 rounds for Algieri, who won 100-90 on their cards. Judge Ron McNair scored nine of the 10 rounds for Algieri, 99-91.

The 37-year-old Algieri (25-3, 9 KOs), of Huntington, New York, fought for the first time since he stopped England’s Tommy Coyle (25-5, 12 KOs) after the eighth round in June 2019 at Madison Square Garden.

Brooklyn’s LesPierre (22-3-1, 10 KOs) has lost three of his past four fights, all to former world champions in Algieri, Jose Pedraza and Maurice Hooker.

LesPierre was aggressive at the start of the 10th round, but he didn’t land any consequential punches. Algieri picked up the activity in the second half of the final round and cruised to a largely easy victory.

A right-left combination by Algieri buzzed LesPierre and made him back up about 25 seconds into the ninth round. Algieri unloaded a lot of unanswered punches, but none of those shots seemed to hurt LesPierre enough to make referee Ron Lipton consider stopping the action.

Algieri continued to out-land LesPierre during the eighth round. He couldn’t hurt LesPierre, yet by then, Algieri he built a sizable lead on the scorecards.

Algieri mounted a comeback in the second half of the seventh round, after LesPierre gained some more momentum in the first half of that round. Algieri connected with a right hand that knocked LesPierre backward in the final minute of the seventh round.

LesPierre clipped Algieri with a right hook in an exchange with just under a minute remaining in the sixth round. LesPierre nailed Algieri with a straight left with just under 15 seconds to go in the sixth round as well.

Algieri shook his head after LesPierre landed another straight left just before the bell sounded to end the sixth round.

Algieri stung LesPierre with a right hand with just under 50 seconds to go in the fifth round. A left hook by Algieri caught LesPierre clean late in the fifth round.

Algieri gained control of their fight in the fourth round, when he was far more active than LesPierre. He landed a right hand that backed up LesPierre in the final minute of that fourth round.

Algieri clipped LesPierre with a right hand just before the midway mark of the third round, but LesPierre took it that shot well. Another right by Algieri landed flush later in the third round, though that shot didn’t affect LesPierre, either.

LesPierre connected with a right-left combination a little less than a minute into the second round. They traded hard shots from the inside to the head and body during the middle minute of the second round.

Algieri’s short left landed flush just before the second round ended.

LesPierre was aggressive at the start of the opening round and backed up Algieri. Algieri landed two right hands as LesPierre moved away from him toward the end of the first round.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.