ringtv.com

MANILA, Philippines – A review by the World Boxing Organization has done little to convince Manny Pacquiao that the three judges got it right in his unanimous decision loss to Jeff Horn.

The WBO announced the results of its anonymous 5-judge review panel on Monday, which saw three “independent” judges affirm the decision for Horn, while one had it for Pacquiao and another had it even.

The review had been requested by the Games and Amusements Board, which regulates pro boxing in the Philippines, and Pacquiao shortly after backed the request.

“Let the people judge for themselves. People saw what happened,” said Pacquiao in a statement. “We have seen worse judgments in the past where judges manipulated results. Nothing surprises me now.” 

The Puerto Rico-based WBO opened the statement by saying the “bout results were controversial causing disputes amongst fans,” but reiterated that they did not have the power to reverse the judges’ decision. 

No review of Mark Nelson, whose refereeing Pacquiao had criticized, was made. GAB chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra thanked the WBO for their review but maintained that Nelson’s actions impacted the fight’s outcome.

“We are grateful that WBO acted promptly on our request but no matter what review they do it will be hard to change the result as the referee didn’t call it close,” Mitra said in a separate statement. “The judges’ scores would have greatly changed if the refs did their job properly. He didn’t give [Senator] Manny the respect and fair protection that is due to a people’s champ.”

A similar review was made in 2012 when Pacquiao was judged the split-decision loser against Tim Bradley in their first fight. In that review, all five judges scored the fight for Pacquiao but the decision remained.

Pacquiao is currently in his hometown of General Santos City, Philippines. There is a rematch clause in the original contract but Pacquiao has yet to definitively state whether he will exercise it.