The World Boxing Council is investigating claims by former referee Carlos Padilla that he influenced the outcome of Manny Pacquiao’s first title fight.
Padilla, now 88, said he extended a count to help fellow Filipino Pacquiao beat Nedal Hussein and defend his WBC International super bantamweight title in Manila in 2000.
He also said he overlooked a head kick from Pacquiao that opened a cut above Hussein’s left eye and led to the fight being stopped for medical reasons.
Pacquiao won via TKO and became a five-weight world champion.
WBC chairman Mauricio Sulaiman told BBC Sport: “The WBC has appointed a committee to look into this matter and we will work on this situation with our full attention.”
Padilla, who refereed Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s infamous “Thrilla in Manila” fight in 1975, made the statements in a interview on the WBC website to mark his induction into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in September.
Padilla said he was told before taking the Hussein fight that it was an “important fight” for Pacquiao’s career.
Pacquiao, then 21, went on to defend the belt two more times before beating South Africa’s Lehlo Ledwaba in 2001 to win the IBF super bantamweight title.
“Manny is not the world champion (of the super bantamweight) yet. He was only a god in the Philippines,” Padilla said.
“They said to me ‘Carlos, please, this is an important fight for Manny because the winner will have a chance to fight for the world championship’.”
Padilla said he stepped in after Pacquiao was knocked down in the fourth round.
“I’m a Filipino and everyone is a Filipino watching the fight,” Padilla said. “So I extend the count. I know how to do it. When he gets up, I tell him ‘Hey, how are you?’, which extends the fight.”
Pacquiao was knocked down again later in the round but Australia’s Hussein was deducted a point for an elbow and Padilla said he gave Pacquiao more recovery time.
Hussein was ruled unfit to continue in round 10 due to a cut, which Padilla said was caused by a header from Pacquiao.
“He (Pacquiao) is smaller. He butted the other guy. It’s a cut. I declare it a punch,” Padilla said. “If there’s a butt, you have to stop the fight and tell the judges ‘head kick’ – that’s a point deduction. But if you don’t and the fight continues, that means it’s a point deduction. is a good punch.”
Padilla said he delayed Hussein’s medical treatment and then tried to influence the ringside doctor’s decision to stop the fight.
“It takes away my responsibility because as a referee it’s the best way to go – let the doctor stop the fight,” he said.
Hussein, who was 22 at the time and undefeated in 19 fights, told Fox Sports that he has “never been the same since” the defeat.
“This guy (Padilla), he took everything from me. He took my soul,” Hussein said.
Hussein, who now runs a gym in Sydney, won his next 17 fights before losing on points to Mexico’s WBC super bantamweight champion Oscar Larios in his first world title fight in 2004.
He lost on points to Scotsman Scott Harrison in 2005 as he battled for the WBO featherweight world title.
Hussein ended his career in 2007 with 43 wins and five losses.
