The Strange Case of 'PacMan' Pacquaio and 'Skinny' Hussein

Manny Pacquiao, one of the greatest boxers of all time -- they called him "PacMan" -- benefited from the cheating help of a referee to get there. Perhaps it should be the man who outboxed him that day -- a fighter you probably have never heard of, -- who deserves the greater legacy.

Nedal "Skinny" Hussein from Australia. Hussein came into the match undefeated, and on the verge of international stardom. He floored Pacquiao in the fourth round, but referee Carlos Padilla -- the same Carlos Padilla who had refereed The Thrilla in Manila and many other of boxing's greatest matches and was now refereeing his final bout -- gave Pacquiao a long and generous time to recover (eighteen seconds).

Padilla? He was a local, a Filipino -- same as Pacquiao,  

There were signs there would be foul play even before the two boxers touched gloves to come out fighting. Hussein was placed in a hotel two hours away from the venue. He was given different gloves. And, in the fight, itself, the long count in the fourth round was not the only thing that tilted things for Pacquiao. In the deciding round, Padilla encouraged the doctor to stop the fight due at a cut on Hussein from a headbutt.

So, PacMan was awarded a technical knockout, vaulting him into a big title fight. He went on become one of the most revered athletes on the planet. Later in life, he entered politics, serving as a senator and running for the presidency of the Philippines.

Hussein? Even though he remained undefeated for the next few years -- other than the loss to Pacquaio -- he was not even given a chance to fight for a world title, "I know for a fact that it took the soul out of me," he told the Sporting News. He suggests there were likely shenanigans in other fights Padilla refereed. “He had obviously done it before," Hussein said.

"I hated the sport after that," Hussein said. "I just couldn’t handle the politics."

Hussein ended his career in 2007 with a 43-5 record, compared to the 62-8-2 mark posted by Pacquiao when he left the ring in 2021. PacMan was the first fighter to win titles in eight different weight divisions, He is the first boxer ever to hold world titles in four different decades. And, of course, he was inducted into boxing's hall of fame. 

The crooked ref, Padilla, was also inducted into boxing's hall of fame.

Now, here's the interesting thing about this story: How do we know of Padilla's corruption? Well, from his own lips. Padilla spilled the beans on himself in a recent interview. "'I thought he was going to get up, but his eyes were cross eyed," Padilla. laughing, said of Pacquiao being knocked down in the fourth round. "I am Filipino and everybody watching the fight is Filipino, so I prolonged the count. I know how to do it."

Padilla spoke of how if there's a headbutt, the ref stops the fight for a moment and tells the judges to deduct a point from the fighter doing the headbutting. In the tenth round, Pacquaio headbutted Hussein, resulting in a cut. At that time, Padilla said,  he hinted to the doctor to stop the bout: “The doctor -- he already sensed what I meant -- he climbed up (and I waved off the bout).” 

History was made, but it is just now being told.