I NEVER thought Manny Pacquiao was such a sore loser but his bleatings over his defeat against Jeff Horn in Brisbane on Sunday has forced the World Boxing Organisation to review the scoring of the fight.
Not that it will change the result. Repeat ? not that it will change the result.
Horn is the World Boxing Organisation welterweight champ and he will stay the world champ no matter the decision by five other anonymous judges appointed by the WBO to review the scoring.
Horn won fair and square and after 12 rounds on Sunday. I had no doubt that he deserved the result.
Even Pacquiao?s promoter Bob Arum said it was a close fight that could have gone either way.
Johnny Lewis, the most respected man in the sport in Australia and recently inducted into New York?s International Boxing Hall of Fame, had Horn winning eight rounds to four ? a clear-cut result.
Pacquiao?s trainer Freddie Roach blamed the loss on a chaotic corner and Pacquiao?s manager Michael Koncz said Horn was much tougher than his team anticipated.
But even without a world title, Senator Pacquiao still carries plenty of clout in boxing and the WBO is reviewing the decision of the three independent judges.
New York?s Waleska Roldan was off, scoring Horn nine rounds to three, or 117-111 but Chris Flores from Arizona and Ramon Cerdan of Argentina both had Horn winning a close fight seven rounds to five.
Roldan?s lopsided score and a pro-Pacquiao ESPN commentary from controversial announcer Teddy Atlas ? who had derided Horn before the fight as a ?nobody? ? helped fuel Pacquiao?s anger at the verdict.
Sunday?s fight was so important that the World Boxing Organisation?s president Francisco Valcarcel, from Puerto Rico, appointed himself the official supervisor to ensure all rules and regulations were strictly enforced.
In the ring immediately after the fight, Pacquiao said he accepted the judges? verdict but he hasn?t stopped squawking since he got home to General Santos City in the Philippines.
Valcarcel said the purpose of the review was to give the fans ?certainty of who was the winner of the bout? ? and added, crucially ? ?even though we do not have the power to reverse the decision of the judges??.
Valcarcel said each of the judges for Sunday?s fight were experienced and respected.
?The officials who participated in this fight are all professional, distinguished, honest and honourable human beings,? he said.
The decision will stand.
By constantly complaining Manny Pacquiao is tarnishing Jeff Horn?s victory.
He?s also staining his own reputation and that of the fight game he has served so well for so many years.
