"I just did my part as a boxer," Manny Pacquiao said in reaction to retired referee Carlos Padilla's revelation that made waves in the world of sports this week.
Eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao brushes aside the controversial remarks of retired referee, Carlos Padilla, as the former boxing official said that he cheated to help Pacquiao defeat Australian Nedal Hussein in their 2000 fight.
“It’s not my problem, that’s his problem. As for me, I just did my part as a boxer,” said Pacquiao in a mix of English and Filipino.
In a release sent to News5, Pacquiao said that he did not cheat, and that fans can just go back to the tape to see for themselves what really happened in the match. The Filipino boxing icon also maintained that he did not see any irregularities during the bout.
“There’s a video of it on YouTube. People can watch it. I think the referee did his job right,” said Pacquiao.
In an interview with the World Boxing Council that caught boxing fans by surprise, Padilla said he did two things to aid Pacquiao in winning that fight, which took place at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo City.
“I’m Filipino, and everybody watching the fight is Filipino, so I prolonged the count. I know how to do it,” Padilla recounted when Pacquiao was knocked down in the fourth round.
The Nevada Boxing Hall of Famer referee also admitted that he covered the tracks of an alleged head butt by Pacman. “Because he [Pacquiao] is shorter, he head-butted the other guy. There is a cut, but I declared it a punch,” Padilla said.
But Pacquiao, who retained his WBC International super bantamweight title after winning that match, remembers it differently. “The cut he [Hussein] suffered on his head, it was due to my uppercut. He got hit with my uppercut. It was not a head butt.”
How about the alleged long count?
“He was looking at me. The referee really had to get the attention of a boxer in those situations; to see if the boxer can understand the words of the referee,” said Pacquiao. “I don’t know if his count was right, but there’s a video of that anyway.”
When asked about how he feels about Padilla’s confession, the boxing champ said, “Sorry to say this, but maybe he just wants to make a name for himself again. But you know I respect Carlos Padilla.”
Hussein, the boxer who lost to Pacquiao in that bout, told World Boxing News that Padilla's revelation "hit a nerve" and that it made him "upset for a full 24 hours."
He also said that he has spoken to his manager Jeff Fenech to discuss what their next move might be. "We will see what plays out," said the Australian slugger.
Padilla, now 88 years old, officiated numerous headline bouts, including the “Thrilla in Manila” fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975. He is also a former actor.
Pacquiao lost in the Philippine Presidential race back in May, but he is still currently serving as senator. He is also set to return to the ring on December 11 for an exhibition fight with Korean personality DK Yoo.