Manny Pacquiao has spoken about the recent cheating admission from a man who refereed one of his early fights.
Fellow Filipino Carlos Padilla was the third man in the ring for Pacquiao’s 2000 fight with Nedal Hussein, and admitted adding extra time to a count when Hussein sent ‘Pac-man’ to the canvas in the fourth round. Padilla also confessed to scoring an accidental headbutt from Pacquaio as a punch.
However, in an interview with Filipino station TV Patrol, Pacquiao resolved himself of any responsibility for the events, stating he was simply doing his best on the night.
“We didn’t cheat. 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.”
Pacquiao went onto win world titles in eight different weight classes and is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Hussein continued boxing after that night, however his career took a down turn and it is clear he still harbours resentment over what took place.
“I would have been able to buy a house and been so much better off. With my career, I missed out on the big fights afterwards because of it. It set me back four years. I hated the sport after that.”
Pacquiao announced his retirement as a professional in 2021 after a defeat to Yordenis Ugas.
However, fans can catch a glimpse of the icon in the ring once again this weekend as he takes on Korean YouTuber DK Yoo in an exhibition bout in Goyang, South Korea.