Pacquiao backs call for WBO review of his loss to Horn

Manny Pacquiao asked the WBO to act on a request by Philippine sports officials for a review of his welterweight world title loss to Jeff Horn, saying he didn’t want to see the boxing industry “dying because of unfair decision and officiating.”

While Pacquiao has accepted his defeat to Horn, who fought in his first world title bout in Sunday’s so-called “Battle of Brisbane,” the Philippine senator said in a statement Wednesday he had a “moral obligation to uphold sportsmanship, truth and fairness.”

The 11-time world champion cited a request by the Philippines’ Games and Amusements Board, or GAB, to World Boxing Organization President Francisco Valcarcel for a thorough review of the refereeing and judging of the bout, which was staged outdoors in front of more than 51,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium.

The WBO should take action on the Philippine request “so as not to erode the people’s interest in boxing,” Pacquiao said. “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.”

“I love boxing and I don’t want to see it dying because of unfair decision and officiating,” he said.

In their July 3 letter to Valcarcel, GAB chairman Abraham Kahlil Mitra and two other officials expressed concerns about “the possible errors of the referee and the three judges who officiated the subject fight.”

“We ... request for a thorough review by the WBO for possible miscalls of the referee where some deductions were not made and of the judges in their judging that have caused varying opinions on their objectivity,” the statement said.

Pacquiao’s trainers were critical of the referee for not doing more to stop or penalize head clashes and neck holds. They highlighted statistics that showed Pacquiao, who needed stitches to two cuts in his hairline that resulted from head clashes, landed twice as many punches.

Commentators from ESPN, which broadcast the fight live in the U.S., were among the most vocal critics of the outcome.

All three judges awarded it to Horn, with American Waleska Roldan’s 117-111 score attracting most of the criticism. U.S. judge Chris Flores and Ramon Cerdan of Argentina each scored it much closer at 115-113.