The World Boxing Council had privatized a video that shows referee Carlos Padilla Jr. admitting cheating in a Manny Pacquiao fight. The video has since been restored with a disclaimer.
Nedal Hussein dropped Pacquiao in the fourth round of the 2000 contest in the Philippines, and fellow Filipino Padilla made sure his countryman made the count.
The WBC’s accompanying article with the original interview posted in October sensationally refers to the cheating but seemingly laughs it off.
They spoke to Padilla as the 88-year-old got inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in Las Vegas.
Manny Pacquiao vs Nedal Hussein
Mentioning the clash in question, which has caused a storm around the world, the WBC said: “With a chuckle, he recalls the epic dust between tall Nedal “Skinny” Hussein and Manny Pacquiao in the Philippines.
“Manny was knocked down hard in the fourth. Carlos recalls he might have prolonged the count a bit, and Manny clinched Nedel for dear life.
“Then a clash of heads, which he saw as a punch. Eventually, it was stopped by the Ring Doctor in the tenth, much to the chagrin of Nedal’s trainer Jeff Fenech.
“Carlos remembers: “Jeff told me, I’ll see you in Mexico at the Convention…and I thought, you go ahead!”
The fact two incidents of cheating are passed off as nothing makes for terrible reading. Padilla should face sanctions for his misdemeanor despite it being two decades ago.
His legacy as an official is soiled due to his admission.
Also, in the clip, Padilla speaks about the jealousy he endured as a referee.
“It’s not good to be good because others envy you.”
‘Crammed with gems’
The WBC then signs off the article with: “Enjoy the full interview. It’s a classic crammed with gems and nuggets.”
Since the massive outcry erupted and Nedal Hussein spokes exclusively to World Boxing News confirming his disgust, a disclaimer appears on the WBC video.
“These interviews express the opinions and stories of the invited guest purely. The WBC nor anyone else involved in the program is responsible for its content.”
Hussein told WBN: “It’s not the fact that he said what he said. It’s more because we already knew it. But the way he said it with a smirk and a smile like he was proud of what he had done, like the depth of corruption, it’s obviously in his veins and his heart.
“So he had obviously done it before because it was nothing to him.”
This story isn’t going away anytime soon and needs to be addressed by the WBC at the earliest possibility.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of experienced boxing writer Phil Jay. Twitter @PhilJWBN. Follow WBN: Facebook, Insta, Twitter.
