Manny Pacquiao has recently been accused of having been helped by referee Carlos Padilla during his fight against Nedal Hussein on October 14, 2000, but “PacMan” has dismissed the claims.
Pacquiao, the former eight divison world champion, was 21 years old back then and on the rise. He contested a 12-round bout against Nedal Hussein for the WBC International Bantamweight title. Carlos Padilla, who was the referee of the fight, said in a recent interview that he cheated in the fight between Pacquiao and Hussein.
“I’m a Filipino, and everyone saw that fight, so I extended the count” to 18 seconds after Pacman fell,” said Padilla, “I helped Manny Pacquiao with some cheating. I know how to do it. When he got up, I asked him if he was okay and stretched out the time a bit. That’s how a fight drags on.”
But the help did not end there. The referee, who knew how to deliver justice in “Thrilla in Manila” between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in 1975, further revealed that he allowed Pacquiao to land an illegal hit on his rival.
“I called it a punch, but it was a headbutt. I allowed him to continue. As a referee, that’s the best way to do it: Just allow the doctor to stop the fight, without them noticing that it was my fault,” he added.
That is his problem, not mine: Manny Pacquiao on Carlos Padilla helping him
Padilla’s words soon went on air, before reaching Pacquiao himself. The retired boxer denied and refuted the claims of the referee.
“We didn’t cheat,” an angered Pacquiao revealed to Filipino media TV Patrol. “We were just favoured because it was our ‘home court’. As a boxer, I just did what I had to do. I’m just a boxer. I’m just doing my job inside the ring. That’s his problem, not mine.”
