Manny Pacquiao Reacts To Referee Cheat: I Don’t Know Why He Said That

A recent interview of Filipino referee Carlos Padilla has surfaced on social media which has irked boxing fans.

Padilla refereed the 2000 WBC junior featherweight title bout between Manny Pacquiao and Australia’s Nedal Hussein.

Two decades later, he revealed in an interview that he cheated Hussein out of a clear fourth-round knockout.

Padilla admitted that he prolonged his count to allow the Pacman to recover. Padilla also counted Pacquiao’s headbutt as a punch because, as he put it, he felt under pressure from the Filipino community to back their fighter.

Pacquiao responded to Padilla’s recent reveal:

“Nedal Hussein, he doesn’t want to listen to the referee. He is focused on me, looking at me. It is the right of the referee to get the attention of a boxer to listen to him,” Pacquiao told GMA.

“He [Carlos Padilla] did the right thing. I don’t know if his count is correct. There is a video of that.

“I’m just doing my part as a boxer. I think he did it okay. It can’t be hidden because there’s a video. The referee did the right thing. I don’t know why he said that.”

In a separate development, one of Padilla’s daughters has released a statement where she has defended her father and responded to the criticism he’s been under lately.

“My father is an 88-year-old man who is just that – old and ageing,” she explained before addressing the US element.

“Despite the fact that he has been living in the United States for decades, English remains his second language. Communications can be misconstrued, and well-intentioned words can be misinterpreted.

“The present situation is one such glaring example of what might have actually been saying [no pun intended] and what may have been taken out of context.”

Padillo’s daughter asked the community to revisit her father’s career to see how “honourable” he has been throughout his time as an official.

“He refereed numerous historic fights with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, and many more fighters for the entirety of his career.

“He has since retired and has been out of the spotlight for as long as I can remember. Oh, but he loves to talk and entertain because, like any other human, he still yearns to feel relevant.

“I invite everyone to ask about Carlos Padilla among his peers. Ask promoters, fighters, referees, or anyone from his era. Hopefully, you will learn about my father’s true character,” she added.

This has the boxing community upset, and fans are demanding the WBC punish the referee and declare Hussein the winner of the WBC International title fight.