Manny Pacquiao has sparked controversy for calling gays “worse than animals” in a recent TV interview.
The boxer’s comments drew ire from gay Filipino celebrities and a rights group, as well as heated discussion.
The former world champion, who positions himself as a conservative Christian politician, is running for a senate seat in May elections.
The largely Catholic Philippines remains conservative on gay rights.
Manny Pacquiao, who is a member of the Philippines house of representatives, was speaking to local station TV5 earlier this week for its election coverage.
In a clip posted online, Manny Pacquiao tells the interviewer: “It’s common sense. Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female?”
“The animals are better. They know how to distinguish male from female. If we approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals.”
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Filipino comedian Vice Ganda and singer Aiza Seguerra, who are openly gay, have criticized Manny Pacquiao for his comments, calling him a “hypocrite” and a “false prophet”.
Local gay rights organization and political group Ladlad condemned his remarks and issued a call to voters to boycott Manny Pacquiao.
On February 16, Manny Pacquiao, who has won world titles in eight different weight divisions, posted a picture of himself with his wife on Instagram in an apparent response to the controversy.
He said: “I rather obey the Lord’s command than obeying the desires of the flesh. I’m not condemning anyone, but I’m just telling the truth of what the Bible says.”
The furor has split the online world, where many Christian followers have shown support for Manny Pacquiao while others have condemned him for his views.
Manny Pacquiao remains hugely popular in the Philippines, and has spoken frequently about his renewed Christian faith. He represents his wife’s home province of Sarangani in the Philippines’ House of Representatives.
World boxing champion Floyd Mayweather has been stripped of the WBO welterweight belt won from Manny Pacquiao in May.
Floyd Mayweather, 38, failed to pay the WBO a $200,000 fee to administer the fight by the July 3 deadline.
He had been expected to relinquish the title by now, saying he planned to do so following his points victory over Manny Pacquiao.
Fellow American Timothy Bradley will now become the full belt holder.
After Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao, he had declared he would vacate all his titles in order to give younger fighters the chance to win belts.
A statement on wboboxing.com said: “The WBO World Championship Committee is allowed no other alternative but to cease to recognize Mr. Floyd Mayweather Jr, as the WBO welterweight champion of the world and vacate his title.”
Floyd Mayweather, who still holds the WBA and WBC belts at welterweight, has until July 20 to appeal against the decision.
He is expected to stage one more fight in Las Vegas on September 12, although he has yet to name the opponent.
The WBO created a vacant interim welterweight belt for the June 27 fight between Timothy Bradley and Jessie Vargas.
Manny Pacquiao underwent surgery on his right shoulder in Los Angeles less than a week after losing the most anticipated fight of the 21st century, ESPN reported.
The Philippines-based superstar is expected to make a full recovery.
Floyd Mayweather remains undefeated after beating Manny Pacquiao by unanimous decision on May 3.
Manny Pacquiao, 36, said he entered the fight with an injured shoulder, a claim that Floyd Mayweather’s camp vehemently refuted after the result.
His decision not to disclose the injury to the Nevada State Athletic Commission – which kept him from getting a cortisone shot the night of the fight – may lead to a fine and suspension, with some filing lawsuits against him, alleging fraud.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who has operated on Tom Brady and Kobe Bryant in the past, conducted the 90-minute operation on Manny Pacquiao’s rotator cuff, which was significantly torn.
Manny Pacquiao moved to 57-6-2 with the loss. Already an active member of the Philippines House of Representatives, some have speculated that the champion could become a presidential candidate.
Floyd Mayweather says he would be willing to fight Manny Pacquiao after he is recovered.
Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s ex-girlfriend Josie Harris sued him for lying in his interview with Katie Couric prior to his fight with Manny Pacquiao.
Josie Harris is asking for over $20 million in damages for Floyd Mayweather repeatedly knowingly making false statements, TMZ Sports reported.
In his interview with Katie Couric, Floyd Mayweather was asked about the 2010 incident with Josie Harris in which he was accused of viciously attacking her.
Floyd Mayweather later pleaded guilty to reduced misdemeanor charges, leading to a 90-day jail sentence.
He told a much different tale from what the arrest report states.
“Did I kick, stomp and beat someone? No, that didn’t happen,” Floyd Mayweather told Katie Couric.
“I look in your face and say, <<No, that didn’t happen>>. Did I restrain a woman that was on drugs? Yes, I did. So if they say that’s domestic violence, then, you know what? I’m guilty. I’m guilty of restraining someone.”
Josie Harris’ lawyer says in the suit that Floyd Mayweather knowingly lied in his interview with Katie Couric to protect his image and help promote his fight with Manny Pacquiao.
Floyd Mayweather accused Josie Harris of being on drugs and claims to have just restrained her, when that is not at all what Harris says happened.
The real story, according to Josie Harris, is that Floyd Mayweather was jealous she was having a relationship with a new man, NBA player C.J. Watson.
He took away Josie Harris’ cellphone, and later attacked her inside her home. Floyd Mayweather paid for the home and had Josie Harris and their three children living there.
“Did he beat me to a pulp? No, but I had bruises on my body and contusions and [a] concussion because the hits were to the back of my head. I believe it was planned to do that … because the bruises don’t show,” Josie Harris said in a 2013 interview with Yahoo.
Floyd Mayweather’s own son, who helped save his mother, even called his father a “coward” for beating up Josie Harris.
This wasn’t the first domestic violence incident between them; Josie Harris accused Floyd Mayweather of beating her up in 2005, but she later dropped the charges and admitted she was lying.
As recently in 2013, Josie Harris posted photo evidence suggesting she and Floyd Mayweather were still sleeping together. As of last year she was still supporting Floyd Mayweather and even got in a fight with one of his other ex-girlfriends.
Meanwhile, Josie Harris has distanced herself from Floyd Mayweather and his controlling ways, and she even is publishing a book about their dysfunctional relationship history.
Josie Harris even appeared to comment on the lawsuit with an Instagram post of a heart and the words, “I’m not sorry” written inside them.
Manny Pacquiao and his team have been sued by two fans for failing to disclose a serious shoulder injury prior to the fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 3rd.
The fans filed a $5 million class action lawsuit against Manny Pacquiao and his camp.
After losing to Floyd Mayweather by unanimous decision, Manny Pacquiao’s camp said the fighter was trying to compete despite a severe shoulder injury.
They blamed the Nevada Athletic Commission for denying Manny Pacquiao a painkilling injection prior to the fight.
The severity of Manny Pacquiao’s injury seemed to be confirmed when it was reported on May 4th he would undergo surgery to repair a tear in his shoulder.
However, what doesn’t add up is that Manny Pacquiao’s team, namely adviser Michael Koncz, checked “no” on a box from the commission asking whether sportsman had a shoulder injury.
“Number one, Manny didn’t check the box,” Michael Koncz told the New York Daily News.
“I checked it. It was just an inadvertent mistake. If I was trying to hide anything, would I have listed all the medications on the sheet that he intended to use? We weren’t trying to hide anything. I just don’t think I read the questionnaire correctly.”
Manny Pacquiao is now facing possible sanctions from the Nevada commission over his failure to disclose the injury. And that brings us back to the fan class action suit.
The fans filed suit against Manny Pacquiao, Michael Koncz, and Pacquiao’s promoter Top Rank for hiding the injury and not disclosing it, letting Pacquiao carry on with the fight as damaged goods.
“Defendants prior to and at the time the plaintiffs and the class decided to purchase tickets; purchase pay per view showings or wagered on the event the defendants knew and had full knowledge and information that defendant Pacquiao had been seriously injured and was suffering from a torn rotator cuff,” the lawsuit reads via ESPN.
“Defendants further know that such injury would severely affect his performance.”
A Top Rank attorney says the claims are false, explaining that on his medical form for the commission Michael Koncz listed all the medications Manny Pacquiao required.
Floyd Mayweather maintains his unbeaten record and wins the richest fight in boxing history after beating Manny Pacquiao via a wide unanimous decision in Las Vegas.
Floyd Mayweather, 38, delivered a defensive master class against his Philippine rival, making the necessary adjustments after only a few rounds before disappearing out of sight.
The American, who added the WBO welterweight title to the WBC and WBA titles he already owned, was awarded the fight 118-110, 116-112 and 116-112 by the three judges.
With his victory, Floyd Mayweather also cemented his status as the greatest pound-for-pound boxer of his generation.
The five-weight world champion is now undefeated in 48 professional fights, stretching back 19 years.
Six-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao, 36, falls to 57 wins, six losses and two draws.
Tickets for the bout – billed as “The Fight of the Century” – changed hands for as much as $350,000 and American fans were charged almost $100 to watch on television.
Rival broadcasters Showtime and HBO joined forces for the first time since Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson in 2002 to show the fight, with Jimmy Lennon Jr. and Michael Buffer sharing ring announcer duties.
A-listers in the 16,507 crowd included Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro, Sting, Prince and Donald Trump.
Multi Grammy Award winner Jamie Foxx sang the American national anthem prior to the fighters entering the ring. So prized was a seat that many celebrities were even sat behind the press row.
Manny Pacquiao began his ring walk at 20:45 Vegas time – to the strains of a song he recorded especially for the occasion – and was awarded a rapturous reception. Floyd Mayweather, on the other hand, was roundly booed, despite being effectively the house fighter.
The opening round was extremely cagey, with both men trying to establish their distance, but Floyd Mayweather did land with a couple of eye-catching right hands on the counter.
Not only did Floyd Mayweather look noticeably bigger than Manny Pacquiao, he also looked quicker in the early rounds.
When Pacquiao did get close, Mayweather was content to tie him up, to both Pacquiao and the fans’ frustration.
While many observers who paid to watch would have been disappointed with the action, the fact that Floyd Mayweather won so handily was more proof of his unparalleled genius.
Manny Pacquiao’s pride will no doubt be salved when he next checks his bank account – it is estimated the fight will generate $400 million in total, with Floyd Mayweather and Pacquiao set to split in the region of $230 million.
Afterwards Floyd Mayweather confirmed he would fight one more time in September before retiring, although the opportunity to surpass Rocky Marciano’s mark of 49 fights undefeated might prove too tempting to pass up.
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