By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing
Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum defended referee Mark Nelson and judges Waleska Roldan, Chris Flores, Ramon Cerdan after fallout from the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn WBO welterweight championship title bout. “You had 40,000 Australian fans and 15,000 Filipino fans in the stadium,” said Arum. “When Horn landed a punch, the Australian fans were all screaming. When Manny landed, there was virtual silence. If you were a judge, of course, you’d be influenced. You’re only human. But if you think they were dishonest, I wouldn’t agree.” As for the performance of referee Mark Nelson, Arum stated “Both guys were doing things. There was a lot of holding by Manny and Jeff.”