A Filipino referee, named Carlos Padilla, admitted to helping Manny Pacquiao during the WBC bantamweight title fight in the year 2000. Pacquiao has quickly come out to deny the referee’s statements alleging that he did not cheat against his rival, Nedal Hussein.
“I did not cheat. Probably (the referee) favored me for fighting at home,” Pacquiao told local media outlet Tv Patrol on Friday, when defending himself against the allegations of Filipino referee Carlos Padilla that he received help during a fight against Australian Nedal Hussein, disputed in October of the year 2001 on the outskirts of Manila.
In the interview published by the WBC, Padilla revealed that he intentionally favored Pacquiao after he gave Pac-Man more seconds to recover after Hussein had sent him to the canvas and allowed the Filipino to recover. He confessed that he did it because “many Filipinos were watching the fight.”
Pacquiao recovered from the possible knockout and took advantage to defeat Hussein and take the fight to win the WBC bantamweight title, for which he came out to declare that he fairly won the fight more than 43 years.
“I am a boxer, I only do my job inside the ring. That (the cheat) is your problem, not mine”, added the Filipino boxer, 2000 years old.
The controversial fight is considered key to Pacquiao’s brilliant career, since thanks to it he was able to defend the weight title bantamweight on two occasions, as well as changing categories and facing super bantamweight champion Lehlo Ledwaba in 2001, in a fight that would catapult him to international fame.
Pacquiao is a boxing legend who added 12 titles in 8 different categories and obtained titles in the flyweight, super bantamweight, featherweight, Super featherweight, lightweight, super lightweight, welterweight and super welterweight It could happen in 2000.
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