In the immediate wake of Manny Pacquiao's controversial welterweight title loss to Jeff Horn in Australia last Saturday, the Filipino icon and acting senator was incredibly gracious and accepting of a unanimous decision defeat that was widely panned.
"That's the decision of the judges," Pacquiao said during the post fight interview. "I respect that."
Time removed from the fight, however, has caused Pacquiao (59-7-2, 38 KOs) to take action against the decision (117-111, 115-113 twice), which helped the unheralded Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs) capture the WBO welterweight title in his home city of Brisbane.
Pacquiao, 38, endorsed a formal call Wednesday by the Philippines' Games and Amusement Board urging the WBO to review the handling of the fight.
"I love boxing and I don't wanna see it dying because of unfair decision and officiating," Pacquiao said in a statement. "I had already accepted the decision but as a leader and, at the same time, fighter, I have the moral obligation to uphold sportsmanship, truth and fairness in the eyes of the public."
The letter sent to the WBO from the Philippines' regulatory body called for a thorough investigation of the scoring from the three judges (Waleska Roldan, Chris Flores and Ramon Cerdan) and the officiating of referee Mark Nelson.
"We are making this request for a review, which may call for sanctions on the referee and judges if so warranted, in furtherance of our mutual goal of protecting the integrity of the sport," the letter said.
On Tuesday, the WBO responded to the fight's controversy by making a statement on its Twitter account.
The discretion of a referee or judge cannot be reversed, except in a case of fraud or violation of laws which is not the case in Pac vs Horn
— WBO (@WorldBoxingOrg) July 4, 2017
Pacquiao has a rematch clause and showed interest immediately after the loss in activating it. Horn, 29, who used constant pressure to sway the judges, welcomed a second fight.
While other broadcast teams internationally scored the fight much closer, ESPN commentators on the American telecast aggressively criticized the decision, which helped build a swam of opinion that the decision was a "robbery." Most pointed to Pacquiao landing nearly double punches of Horn, according to CompuBox, as fuel in the debate.
