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Manny Pacquiao still won’t accept Jeff Horn beat him fair and square

"Let the people judge for themselves": Manny Pacquiao.

"Let the people judge for themselves": Manny Pacquiao. Photo: Getty

Gracious enough after his bout with Australian Jeff Horn, Manny Pacquiao has quickly changed his tune, insinuating that the judges “manipulated results” of his welterweight title loss to Horn.

After Pacquiao and the Philippines government appealed the judges’ original decision, requesting a re-score of the fight, the WBO confirmed on Tuesday that Horn clearly won the fight.

The Filipino boxing legend fired back quickly with a statement that is being widely seen as churlish and ungracious.

“Let the people judge for themselves. People saw what happened,” Pacquiao said in the statement.

“We have seen worse judgments in the past where judges manipulated results.

“Nothing surprises me now.”

Filipino Games and Amusements Board chairman Abraham “Baham” Mitra also weighed in, casting aspersions on the work of US referee Mark Nelson.

“We are grateful that WBO acted promptly on our request, but no matter what review they do it will be hard to change the result as the referee didn’t call it close,” Mitra said.

“The judges’ scores would have greatly changed if the refs did their job properly.

“He didn’t give Manny the respect and fair protection that is due to a people’s champ.”

The bitter response came as Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, claimed he had still not been paid by his charge for the Horn bout.

Roach told Sports Illustrated Pacquiao had avoided, even ignored, him after the fight, perhaps suspecting that the long-time trainer may have been about to tell the fighter it was time to retire.

manny pacquiao refuses to accept Jeff Horn recount

Trainer Freddie Roach and Manny Pacquiao in Brisbane. Photo: Getty

Roach said when he approached Pacquiao in the locker room, the champ refused to make eye contact with him.

“I was trying to see where his head was at,” Roach said.

“And I could not even get him to say ‘hi’ to me. I don’t know if he was upset with me or what.

“I really don’t know if he’s mad at me,” Roach said.

“But I can tell you this: I haven’t been paid yet. So who knows?”

Roach added he’d never seen Pacquaio seemingly capitulate the way he did against Horn.

“Manny wasn’t himself,” Roach told SI.com. “He didn’t look like the Manny Pacquiao I’ve known for a long time.

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