Press scored it for Manny

Filipino lawyer and avid boxing enthusiast Romy Macalintal has taken it upon himself to file a formal complaint for Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto to conduct an inquiry surrounding the circumstances that led to Timothy Bradley’s win over Manny Pacquiao by split decision in Las Vegas last June 9.

Macalintal mailed the letter last Saturday and said the Attorney General’s Office should have received it by 2 p.m. yesterday. “I have not informed Manny about my filing this letter-complaint,” said Macalintal who is in Norwalk City, California, and will be back in town on June 29. “I am sure he will know it in due time.”

Macalintal flew to the US with wife Mila and their daughter Jilen not only to watch the Pacquiao-Bradley fight in Las Vegas but also to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary last June 12. The Macalintals renewed their marriage vows at the St. Peter Catholic Church in Hawaiian Gardens, California.

Macalintal said he filed the complaint as a boxing fan whose right to a fair and credible verdict is entitled to the protection by the state. He mentioned that his call for an inquiry may be considered a class suit on behalf of those boxing fans who also deserve to be heard of their complaint and grievances.

Macalintal’s letter cited the scores of 51 sportswriters and experts from different news or media agencies covering the fight. Those who saw it for Pacquiao included Showtime’s Barry Tompkins, HBO’s Harold Lederman, Examiner’s Michael Marley and ESPN’s Dan Rafael who scored it 119-109, ESPN’s Nigel Collins, Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger, Michael Rosenthal and Ryan Songalia, MaxBoxing’s Gabriel Montoya and USA Today’s Pete O’Brien 118-110, London Daily Telegraph’s Gareth Davies, Ring Magazine’s Doug Fischer, MaxBoxing’s Steve Kim, Los Angeles Times’ Lance Pugmire, Associated Press’ Tim Dahlberg, Boxing Scene’s Chris Robinson and Luis Sandoval, HBO’s Kieran Mulvaney and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s Ryan Maquinana 117-111, Boxing Scene’s Rick Reeno, New York Post’s George Willis and Fight Today UK’s Salmaan Ahmed 116-112 and Ring Magazine’s Lem Satterfield, Boxing Scene’s Jake Donovan and Telemundo’s Armando Alvarez 115-113. The three who had it for Bradley were HBO’s Thomas Hauser 115-114, HBO’s Bart Barry 116-115 and Top Rank’s Brian Kenny 116-112

Macalintal said Fight Score Collector.com compiled the marks of several boxing writers, fans and analysts and tallied 46 for Pacquiao and one for Bradley. Boxing News’ Danny Flexen cast the dissenting vote, 115-113 for Bradley. Among those who saw it for Pacquiao were former world champion and English TV commentator Wayne McCullough 116-112, ESPN’s Skip Bayliss 119-109, Yahoo’s Kevin Iole 117-111, New York Daily News 116-112, Orlando Sentinel 117-111 and P4P.com’s Brett Newton, 118-110

“The Irish Sportsbook Paddy Power was reported to have refunded bets to anyone in Ireland who had Pacquiao over Bradley,” wrote Macalintal. “Paddy Power, the largest bookmaker in Ireland, refunded all bets on Pacquiao to beat Bradley. Former champion Oscar de la Hoya said that Bradley should have refused the title belt and Pacquiao had won the fight. ESPN analyst and long-time trainer Teddy Atlas said that Pacquiao clearly won and that it was a case of either incompetence or corruption. He added that boxing needs a national commission so that judges can be accountable for their decisions.”

Macalintal said he watched the fight beside “Bourne Legacy” actor Jeremy Renner in the arena. “Every time, Pacquiao would deliver a good punch, Renner would say, ‘nice, baby, go, baby’ by way of showing his support for Manny whom he called his boxing idol,” said Macalintal. “It was not only Manny who was personally affected by the shocking results of this fight but more so the boxing fans all over the world who deserve a clean and credible decision in all sports activities.”

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In 1975, Macalintal sat down with Muhammad Ali for two hours in Manila and showed his scrapbook containing news clippings of the fights and life of the fighter dating back to the ‘60s when he was still known as Cassius Clay.

The Washington, D. C.-based Fil-Am organization Migrant Heritage Commission has also sent an urgent letter to the Attorney General calling for a probe. “In the spirit of public accountability and decency and public trust, we view it as but fair and just to conduct an immediate probe as to why the scorecards of the judges Cynthia J. Ross and Duane Ford did not jibe with the statistics of the computer-analyzed Compubox,” wrote the commissioner executive directors Arnedo Valera, Grace Jaramillo and Jesse Gatchalian. “The world thought there was something bizarre in the judging that night. All throughout the fight, Pacquiao had been mostly in control. Ringside punching statistics showed Pacquiao landing 253 punches to 159 for Bradley. The Compubox statistics showed Pacquiao landing more punches in 10 of the 12 rounds. Major networks CNN, HBO, BBC and USA Today had been analyzing the game with Pacquiao as the winner.”

Despite the public outcry, Pacquiao has remained calm and unperturbed. He called it a test of faith from God and said the loss, no matter if undeserved, will serve to make him stronger. Pacquiao has clearly raised the bar for fighters throughout the world. In the Antonio Margarito fight, he showed compassion and class in asking the referee to stop the contest with the Mexican badly battered. Now, in the face of an unjust loss, he praised the Lord and gave thanks. What a contrast to Marquez who raved, ranted and even manufactured T-shirts declaring he was robbed after failing to beat Pacquiao thrice. Pacquiao came out much bigger than the so-called winner in Las Vegas – his recognition as the people’s champion transcends the realm of a WBO or any boxing body.