Carlos "Sonny" Dolorico Padilla Jr. (; born April 19, 1934) is a retired actor and boxing

referee A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titl ...

and judge from the Philippines. He is best known for refereeing the "

Thrilla in Manila Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier lll, billed as the "Thrilla in Manila", was the third and final boxing match between WBA, WBC, and '' The Ring'' heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, and Joe Frazier, for the heavyweight championship of the world. T ...

" between

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

and

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fi ...

in 1975.

Career

The son of an Olympic boxer and actor, Padilla's professional career began as an actor, where he was known a commercial advertisement of "Family Rubbing Alcohol" with the famous slogan, ''Hindi lang pampamilya, pang-isports pa''. His acting career spanned over 40 years, with his final credited role in ''

Sige, Subukan Mo ''Sige, Subukan Mo'' is a 1998 Filipino action film co-written by Joseph Balboa and directed by Francis Posadas, starring Ace Vergel and Maricel Soriano. Plot David (Ace Vergel) is presented as Congressman Ampil's ( Eddie Gutierrez) adopted so ...

'' in 1998. Padilla first came to international prominence as a referee when he refereed the third fight between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, known as the "Thrilla in Manila". Before the fight, Frazier's trainer Eddie Futch, who was concerned about potential officiating bias, objected to all three American referees who had traveled to the Philippines, so Padilla -- then a little-known local official -- was selected as a late replacement, finding out of his selection the day before the fight. Despite having 11 years of experience, it was Padilla's first time officiating a fight above the 135-lb. weight class. On his official scorecard for the fight (which Ali won by

TKO TKO may refer to: Sports * Technical knockout, a professional fighting term * Total Knock Out, a professional wrestling move Music Artists * TKO (band), a rock band from Seattle, Washington * TKO, a pop group led by Katie White Albums * ''TKO ...

after 14 rounds), Padilla scored in favor of Ali, 66-60. Encouraged by Don King (who had previously objected to Padilla's inclusion in the fight), Padilla relocated to the United States afterwards, and went on to officiate many high-profile boxing matches through the next two-plus decades, including Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Wilfred Benítez,

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...

vs.

Pinklon Thomas Pinklon Thomas (born February 10, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1978 to 1993. He was boxing's first 'Centennial Champion' (1886-1986), and held the WBC heavyweight title from 1984 to 1986, along with being the ...

, Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durán 1, Thomas Hearns vs. Roberto Durán,

Julio César Chávez Julio César Chávez González (; born July 12, 1962), also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was liste ...

vs. Ruben Castillo, Dwight Muhammad Qawi vs. Matthew Saad Muhammad and Salvador Sánchez vs. Wilfredo Gómez. He refereed his final bout on October 14, 2000, between Manny Pacquiao and Nedal Hussein in the Philippines, a fight in which he admitted to cheating in order to help Pacquiao win.

Personal life

Padilla is the son of actor and Olympic boxer Carlos Padilla Sr. He is also father to singer and actress Zsa Zsa Padilla and a grandfather to Karylle and Zia. He was given a lifetime achievement award by the Philippine Sportswriters Association in 2011.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Padilla, Carlos Jr. 1934 births Living people Boxing referees Filipino male film actors Carlos Jr.