The sanctioning body of the recent Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn announced on Friday that they will re-score the Battle in Brisbane with five new judges, but only to re-assure the public.
The Los Angeles Times reports that World Boxing Organization (WBO) president Francisco Valcarcel will appoint five judges to review the controversial fight at the request of the Philippines Games and Amusements Board but the original decision will remain in tact.
“I would be very grateful if the GAB can provide any evidence indicating fraud or violation of law,” WBO President Francisco Valcarcel said in a letter to the GAB dated Thursday.
“The purpose of this review is to be able to give the fans certainty of who was the winner of the bout, even though we do not have the power to reverse the decision of the judges.”
Valcarcel said five anonymous judges will review the bout, assigning their own scores to rounds.
“Then, we will tabulate the results to ascertain clearly which rounds each fighter won using an average scale based on 60, 80 and 100%,” Valcarcel said. “This means that three of the five officials have to agree to determine which fighter won the round.”
The outcome of the fight continues to be highly debated by sports observers and fans. Pacquiao has since returned to the Philippines to resume his Senatorial duties while Jeff Horn has been lauded in Australia with a parade.