Cambodian PM Says He Won’t Pay Up on $5,000 Mayweather v. Pacquiao Bet

The comment is somewhat startling given that the Cambodian government forbids its citizens from gambling.

hunsen
hunsen

Cambodia’s prime minister has come out swinging for fellow Southeast Asian Manny Pacquiao after the Filipino boxer lost the “Fight of the Century” to American Floyd Mayweather on Saturday.

Cambodia’s prime minister has come out swinging for fellow Southeast Asian Manny Pacquiao after the Filipino boxer lost the “Fight of the Century” to American Floyd Mayweather on Saturday.

Strongman Hun Sen, one of the world’s longest-ruling leaders, announced Monday that he is refusing to pay up on a $5,000 bet on the match, claiming that biased American judges in Las Vegas robbed Pacquiao of a win.

“I send a message to American judges to provide an explanation for why Floyd won,” Hun Sen told a crowd at a ground-breaking ceremony for a national road, according to the Cambodia Daily. “Floyd was just running around — blocking and avoiding — while Pacquiao repeatedly threw more and more punches, punching him to lie against the ropes.”

Hun Sen claimed Pacquiao would have been declared the winner if the pair hadn’t fought in the United States, and suggested that any rematch should take place in China to avoid bias. He didn’t specify to whom he’d lost the bet or any other details about it, saying only, “I owe you, but I will not pay.”

The comment is somewhat startling given that the Cambodian government forbids its citizens from gambling. Only foreigners are allowed to use the country’s casinos, though a draft law eventually may change that. Hun Sen has previously claimed that he earns only an official salary of just over $1,000 a month, a figure dwarfed by the size of the bet.

Phay Siphan, a Cambodian government spokesman, claimed the prime minister was probably just joking and didn’t really bet on the match.

Hun Sen is known for his hours-long speeches, which can meander from the achievements of his authoritarian government and the chaos that would ensue if it lost power to musings on issues like spousal meddling in ministry affairs, plastic surgery, U.S. society, and, of course, sports — a favorite topic of his.

A former Khmer Rouge commander who fled to Vietnam to escape his own party’s brutal purges, Hun Sen quickly rose to lead the Vietnamese-backed government that replaced the regime and has clung to power ever since. He often faces criticism about the brutal tactics his ruling party uses to suppress its political opponents and members of civil society.

When confronted with this criticism, as the Cambodia-based Phnom Penh Post points out, Hun Sen has replied that “international standards exist only in sports.” But his take on Mayweather v. Pacquiao suggests that even in the realm of sports, Hun Sen likes to have it his way.

Minoru Iwaski/Kyodo News – Pool/Getty Images

Justine Drennan was a fellow at Foreign Policy. She previously reported from Cambodia for the Associated Press and other outlets. Twitter: @jkdrennan

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