Senate Majority Leader and Manny Pacquiao fan Harry Reid thinks the Filipino boxer was unfairly ousted from his position as WBO welterweight champion. The controversial loss to Timothy Bradley in Vegas last weekend left most observers wondering if there’d been a stitch-up. Reid doesn’t think that anything “untoward” went on but still thinks an inquiry is the best course of action.
“From all the reports that I’ve seen by people on the outside who saw the fight, who attempted to be fair and judge the fight, Pacquiao won the fight,” Reid said. “Our attorney general is a wonderful woman. She’ll do her best. I feel confident there’s been nothing untoward, but if an investigation makes everyone feel better, do the investigation.”
The uproar around the bout has been unrelenting and led one gambling industry firm, Paddy Power, to refund all losing bets on the fight. Pacquiao was 1/7 to retain the title with some bookies in the lead up to the fight and some have speculated that WWE’s Vince McMahon couldn’t have written a better outcome. He’d have had a steel cage though…and Floyd Mayweather as special guest referee.
Pacquiao and Reid go way back after the boxer helped his friend overcome a late deficit in the polls in November 2010 to remain in his seat as senate leader. In return Pac-Man was invited to Washington D.C. by Reid, who in his time was an amateur boxer himself and is obviously a fan of a fair fight.
A rematch between Pacquiao and Bradley is expected later on in the year and more than anything else the title loss might just put out the lingering fire that is Mayweather v Pacquiao.
