Fibroso
02-22-2016, 01:48 PM
Boxing
Bob Arum says Manny Pacquiao's anti-gay remarks are 'reprehensible'
By Andreas Hale
February 18, 2016 3:43 PM
Boxing
You can count Manny Pacquiao’s promoter as one of the many who do not agree with the Filipino fighter’s anti-gay rhetoric, which suggested gay people “are worse than animals” and ended up costing him his Nike sponsorship along with the adoration of some of his fans.
“I think it’s reprehensible,” Bob Arum said to RingTV.com about the soon-to-be retiring fighter’s comments that were said to a Filipino TV station. “I’m in favor of same-sex marriage. I’m in favor of gay rights. A lot of my friends are gays, particularly in California and Hollywood, so it’s very offensive to them and that’s what I’m most concerned about.”
Arum’s star fighter is preparing for his April 9 showdown with Timothy Bradley and the promoter would like to create as much distance as humanly possible between Pacquiao’s controversial views on same-sex marriage and the pay-per-view fight.
“The only way you do damage control is he apologized and we move away from the possibility that anybody would think we or Bradley or anyone connected to the fight believes in what he did say,” Arum said. “And if [Pacquiao] believes it, it’s unfortunate but that’s his belief. You can’t really affect somebody who is saying things that you don’t believe in but is part of their religious beliefs.”
With the fight drawing near, Arum is unsure whether this controversy will have any affect on the pay-per-view numbers for Pacquiao’s farewell bout.
“I have no idea [if Pacquiao's remarks will affect PPV sales],” Arum said. “I mean we live in a country – look at the number of people who support Donald Trump and the [expletive] that he says. Who knows anymore? How can you make a prediction?”
Although Pacquiao has since apologized for his comparison between gay people and animals, he hasn’t quite backed down from his position on same-sex relationships. In a post on Instagram that he later deleted, Pacquiao quoted Leviticus 20:13 by stating the following:
“If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death, their blood will be on their own heads.”
With Pacquiao preparing for a run at a Senate seat in the Philippines this May, Arum has made a distinct separation between the fight he is promoting and the politician’s political views.
“I’m putting a fight on,” Arum said. “I’m not promoting a politician.”
Bob Arum says Manny Pacquiao's anti-gay remarks are 'reprehensible'
By Andreas Hale
February 18, 2016 3:43 PM
Boxing
You can count Manny Pacquiao’s promoter as one of the many who do not agree with the Filipino fighter’s anti-gay rhetoric, which suggested gay people “are worse than animals” and ended up costing him his Nike sponsorship along with the adoration of some of his fans.
“I think it’s reprehensible,” Bob Arum said to RingTV.com about the soon-to-be retiring fighter’s comments that were said to a Filipino TV station. “I’m in favor of same-sex marriage. I’m in favor of gay rights. A lot of my friends are gays, particularly in California and Hollywood, so it’s very offensive to them and that’s what I’m most concerned about.”
Arum’s star fighter is preparing for his April 9 showdown with Timothy Bradley and the promoter would like to create as much distance as humanly possible between Pacquiao’s controversial views on same-sex marriage and the pay-per-view fight.
“The only way you do damage control is he apologized and we move away from the possibility that anybody would think we or Bradley or anyone connected to the fight believes in what he did say,” Arum said. “And if [Pacquiao] believes it, it’s unfortunate but that’s his belief. You can’t really affect somebody who is saying things that you don’t believe in but is part of their religious beliefs.”
With the fight drawing near, Arum is unsure whether this controversy will have any affect on the pay-per-view numbers for Pacquiao’s farewell bout.
“I have no idea [if Pacquiao's remarks will affect PPV sales],” Arum said. “I mean we live in a country – look at the number of people who support Donald Trump and the [expletive] that he says. Who knows anymore? How can you make a prediction?”
Although Pacquiao has since apologized for his comparison between gay people and animals, he hasn’t quite backed down from his position on same-sex relationships. In a post on Instagram that he later deleted, Pacquiao quoted Leviticus 20:13 by stating the following:
“If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death, their blood will be on their own heads.”
With Pacquiao preparing for a run at a Senate seat in the Philippines this May, Arum has made a distinct separation between the fight he is promoting and the politician’s political views.
“I’m putting a fight on,” Arum said. “I’m not promoting a politician.”