Recriminations over Filipino boxing great Manny Pacquaio’s comments about homosexual relationships still roil as former basketball star Magic Johnson jumps into the fray with a series of tweets attacking the boxer for his comments.
Johnson posted the messages on Wednesday informing fans that he is launching a boycott of the boxer and won’t watch any more of Pacquiio’s bouts because of the pugilist’s anti-gay rhetoric.
Johnson’s condemnation comes after Pacquaio, who is running for the Senate in his home country of the Philippines, criticized homosexual relationships in an interview. During the interview, the 37-year-old boxing world champion known as “Pacman” said gay relationships are “worse than animals.”
Pacquiao spoke out against gay relationships saying, “It’s common sense. Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female?”
“The animals are better,” the boxer added. “They know how to distinguish male from female. If we approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals.”
Pacquiao later apologized for the comments on his Facebook page.
“I’m sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals,” he wrote on February 16. “Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt. I still stand on my belief that I’m against same sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I’m not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God Bless you all and I’m praying for you.”
Magic Johnson isn’t alone in his attack on the boxer. Sportswear giant Nike cancelled Pacquiao’s endorsement contract after the comments raised a firestorm of criticism.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com