Pacquiao leaves verdict to fans after WBO rebuff

Manny Pacquiao is “not surprised” the World Boxing Organisation affirmed the loss of his welterweight title to Australian Jeff Horn, but the Philippine legend railed at large at judges who “manipulated results”.

The WBO ordered a review of the scoring of the July 2 Brisbane bout at the request of the Philippines’ Games and Amusements Board, which criticised the judges and the referee.

The WBO set up a panel of independent and anonymous judges to watch the bout without sound and determine who won each round. On Tuesday, it said the judges found Horn won seven rounds to Pacquiao’s five.

“We have seen worse judgements in the past where judges manipulated results. Nothing surprises me now,” Pacquiao said in a statement late on Tuesday.

“Let the people judge for themselves. People saw what happened,” said the 38-yearold, who has won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions.

The undefeated but unheralded Horn, 29, had stunned the Filipino legend with his ultra-aggressiveness to earn a unanimous decision.

Slim reversal chances

But the Filipino’s camp alleged the referee let the Australian get away with illegal tactics.

The WBO ordered the review while stressing it did not have the power to reverse a decision unless fraud or law violations were proven.

Pacquiao had endorsed the call for a review issued by the Filipino sports regulatory, which lashed out at the “unfair decision and officiating” of the fight.

In a statement yesterday, the Filipino regulator thanked the WBO for looking into the fight but blamed American referee Mark Nelson for the results.

“The judges’ scores would have greatly changed if the referee did his job properly,” said board chairman Abraham Kahlil Mitra.