MANILA, Philippines – Carlos (Sonny) Padilla, recognized as one of the greatest professional boxing referees of all time, predicted yesterday that WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao will knock out Sugar Shane Mosley in their 12-round title bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 7 but cautioned the Filipino icon to be wary of the first African-American fighter he?s facing in the ring.
Pacquiao has fought only two Americans in his career, Oscar de la Hoya and David Diaz who are both of Mexican descent.
?If Mosley slugs it out with Manny, he?ll go in five or less,? said Padilla. ?If he boxes Manny, it?ll be over in seven or eight. It will be an overwhelming win for Manny. But just the same, I think Manny should be careful. Mosley is a boxer with two hands and it takes only one punch to win a fight. Manny?s fighting his first real American opponent.?
Padilla said he doesn?t expect Mosley to engage Pacquiao. ?I know that Mosley has nothing to lose,? he went on. ?He?ll earn his purse, no matter what happens. Manny?s too quick and strong for Mosley so why should Mosley try to slug it out? He can just stay on the outside, not get hit and still earn his paycheck.?
Padilla, 76, worked over 60 world title fights in a career that lasted nearly 30 years and ended with Manny Pacquiao?s stoppage of Nedal Hussein in Antipolo in 2000. He was in the ring with stars like Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Alexis Arguello, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns, Larry Holmes, Ken Norton, Azumah Nelson, Wilfredo Gomez, Salvador Sanchez, Wilfred Benitez and Hector Camacho. In 1984, Padilla was the referee when Freddie Roach stopped Joe Ruelaz in the fourth round in Las Vegas.
Padilla received a lifetime achievement award from the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) at the Manila Hotel recently. He met up with Pacquiao, the guest of honor and speaker, during the Awards Night.
?It?s been a while since I spoke with Manny,? said Padilla who lives in Las Vegas and flew in to accept the PSA award. ?I congratulated him for his accomplishments. I also told him how handsome he is. Then I asked if he could give me tickets to watch his fight against Mosley.?
In his speech, Pacquiao jokingly referred to Padilla as the man who saved him in the Hussein fight. Pacquiao was floored by Hussein in the fourth round but got up to halt the Australian on a cut in the eyebrow. Padilla appeared to delay resuming the fight for Pacquiao to clear the cobwebs in his head. To this day, Padilla ? with a smile ? swears that he did nothing wrong.
Padilla said in his book, Ali is the greatest fighter who ever lived. But Pacquiao is in his top five list with Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano and Hagler. ?There are many other legends like Leonard who was very popular because of his charisma and Hearns who never took a step back,? said Padilla. ?But nobody compares with Ali.?
Padilla said he?s looking forward to a duel between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather. ?It?s the fight everyone wants, maybe except Mayweather,? he said. ?But if it ever pushes through, I think Manny will win. If they fought some years ago, maybe Mayweather would?ve had the edge. But now, no way Manny will lose. Mayweather likes to run, hit and hold. That?s his style. He?ll try to frustrate you with his boxing skills. He?s very clever. I think Freddie should insist in the rules meeting before the fight that Mayweather shouldn?t be allowed to hold intentionally. It?s okay to clinch if it happens naturally. But if a fighter deliberately holds, he should be given a warning. After three warnings, a point should be deducted. After another warning, a second point should be deducted. And after another warning, he should be disqualified.?
Padilla said it?s up to Pacquiao when to retire. ?That?s the hardest thing to do,? he continued. ?You evaluate how you performed in your last fight. That will be the basis of determining whether you?ll continue to fight or not. It?s difficult to turn your back on the money you make in boxing. When you?re a champion, you?re like a king. You?re a VIP with an entourage. Every move you make is reported in media. And when it?s over, you?ll miss it. A fighter must know when to quit. If he gets knocked out badly or if he can?t be as competitive as before. I?ve seen champions retire and become greeters in hotels. I?m glad that Manny has prepared for his future after boxing. He?s not only a fighter but also a politician.?
Padilla, who goes back to Las Vegas tomorrow, said Pacquiao has improved remarkably since the Hussein fight. ?The credit goes to Freddie,? said Padilla. ?Before Freddie, Manny fought like (Mike) Tyson, wading in, throwing wild punches. Now, he moves in and out, sidesteps, moves his head and fights intelligently. He?s come a long way from the Antipolo fight against Hussein.?
Padilla said aside from the ?Thrilla In Manila? in 1975, the other classics which he worked were the 1980 fight between Leonard and Duran for the WBC welterweight title in Montreal and the 1981 battle between Sanchez and Gomez for the WBC featherweight crown.
?The Leonard-Duran fight was held at the Olympic stadium which was open-air and the crowd was about 50,000 (attendance was reported to be 46,317),? he said. ?The Sanchez-Gomez fight was held at Caesars Palace and it was so colorful and dramatic. I also remember an open-air fight in Miami near the beach. It rained hard. The fighters fought under a canopy but they got drenched. One fighter was on the verge of getting knocked out but was revived by the rain and went on to win.?
Padilla said his biggest fee as a referee was $6,000 for working Julio Cesar Chavez? sixth round knockout over Terrence Ali in a WBC lightwelterweight title bout in Las Vegas in 1993.
