In 2000, Manny Pacquiao won a boxing match against Australian boxer Nedel Hussein. The match was held at the Ynares Center in Antipolo and refereed by renowned Filipino referee Carlos Padilla, who officiated the iconic “Thrilla in Manila” in 1975 between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

The Pacquiao-Hussein match was deemed a technical knockout victory. By the tenth round, Nedel had a deep cut on his left eyebrow, which caused the match to stop. The win allowed Manny to retain his World Boxing Council (WBC) International super bantamweight title.

There was no issue about the win until recently, when Carlos claimed that there was an anomaly to Manny’s win and even confessed to his part in it.

Carlos claimed that he gave a longer count for Manny in as early as the fourth round.

“Because I am a Filipino and everybody [was] Filipino watching the fight, so I prolonged the count. I know how to do it,” confessed the veteran referee. “And when he got up, I said, ‘Hey, are you okay?’ That was prolonging the fight.”

Furthermore, he revealed that what he initially declared a legal punch from Manny was actually a headbutt. The aforementioned punch led to a cut on Nedel, which Carlos didn’t allow to be checked until much later.

“He butted the other guy. There was a cut. I declared it a punch. If there is a butt, you have to stop the fight,” said the 88-year-old referee. “But if you do not do that, the fight continues, meaning to say it is a good hit, clean punch.”

However, boxing analyst and commentator Quinito Henson questioned the claims that any cheating occurred.

“The myth of the long count, I don’t think that’s true,” he said.

He added that the cause of Hussein’s cut was really a punch and not a headbutt. More than that, Manny was really ahead in all three judges’ score cards.

“Manny deserved to win that fight,” said Quinito.

As to Carlos’s claims, Quinito felt that he got caught in the moment of his induction to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame which led to him embellish some details.

As far as Manny is concerned, he maintained that he did nothing wrong. For the most part, perhaps he had home court advantage, but he stood by the knowledge that he fought a clean fight.

“As a boxer, ginawa ko lang naman ‘yung dapat kong gawin. Ginagawa ko lang ‘yung trabaho ko,” said Manny. “That’s his problem, not mine.”

Nedel himself held no ill will towards Manny.

“I have nothing against Manny Pacquiao. I'm a big fan of Manny. I think he's done amazing for the sport," said Nedel.

However, Nedel asked that Carlos be held accountable.  

"Carlos Padilla is nothing more than a criminal. That's what he is. He did a criminal act. He violated and manipulated the rules,” declared Nedel.

Carlos was recently inducted to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame, but due to his confession, Nedel believes he should no longer be part of it.

“He should be accountable for what he did. Take him out of the Hall of Fame,” Nedel suggests.

Amidst the controversy, Carlos’s daughter Suzy Padilla Tuano wrote to the World Boxing Council to plead her father’s case and shed light on her father’s statements.

"My father is an 88 year old man who is just that—old and aging,” explained Suzy. “Despite the fact that he has been living in the United States for decades, English remains his 2nd language.”

Suzy insisted that wires may have been crossed as to what her father said and what he actually meant to say.

"Communications can be misconstrued and well intentioned words can be misinterpreted,” Suzy continued. “The present situation is one such glaring example of what might actually have been said, (no pun intended), and what may have been taken out of context.”

Carlos has dedicated decades to the sport and his daughter believes in his integrity.

"My father is a decent and honorable man,” she reiterated. “He dedicated his life to boxing and boxers and cared for them and their well being, regardless of nationality or circumstance.”

Given his track record and considering his current age, Suzy asked for leniency in interpreting the issue.

"He refereed numerous historic fights with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, and many more fighters for the entirety of his career. He has since retired and has been out of the spotlight for as long as I can remember. Oh, but he loves to talk and entertain because like any other human, he still yearns to feel relevant,” she explained.

Suzy again asked for a fair review of her father’s character and performance before passing judgement.

“I invite everyone to ask about Carlos Padilla among his peers: promoters, fighters, referees, or anyone from his era and hopefully, you will learn about my father's true character," asked Suzy. "He does not need controversies at this very late stage in his life."

For now, the World Boxing Council has refrained from issuing any statements, although WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman did promise that the proper process will be observed as they establish a special panel to review his case.