The least that Bob Arum could have done while Manny Pacquiao was under attack by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community for his stand on same-sex marriage was to just keep his mouth shut and wait for the opportune time to say his piece.
The Pacquiao-LGBT controversy has become the No.1 trending topic on the Internet as well as in mainstream media as members of LGBT took turns in bashing Pacquiao for his statements about same-sex marriage. In the controversial statement, Pacquiao said even animals do not engage in same-sex (sexual) relationships. But he later clarified that his stand on the issue is based on what he read in the Bible. “It?s only common sense. Would you see any species of animals who engage in male to male, female to female [sexual] relations? Animals, then, are better than humans [in that sense]. They know how to distinguish males from females,” said Pacquiao in an analogy. “If people then engage in male to male, female to female relations, then they are worse than animals,” he added. Less than two days after Pacquiao’s TV interview, one of his major sponsors, Nike Sportswear, announced the company’s decision to drop Pacquiao as endorser.
Manny Pacquiao with wife Jinkee Instagram / Manny Pacquiao / MP-FB “Nike terminated an endorsement agreement with Manny Pacquiao after the Filipino boxer made derogatory comments against homosexuals. The sportswear maker said in a statement that it found Pacquiao?s comments ‘abhorrent’ and that it no longer has a relationship with the fighter,” The Wall Street Journal writes. After learning about the announcement, Arum immediately sided with Nike, without even calling Pacquiao to get his side of the controversy. ?I think it?s reprehensible,? Arum told RingTV.com in a phone interview on Wednesday. ?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.? ?As Manny?s promoter, I must say I agree with Nike,? Arum said. ?They?re in the business of selling products, and Manny?s remarks were offensive to many people, particularly those in the gay and lesbian community.? ?Manny shouldn?t have said what he did, and Nike acted appropriately,? he stressed. While Arum is entitled to his own opinion, it would have been better if he refrained from castigating Pacquiao in public for voicing his opinion. Arum was expected to stay neutral, considering he benefits immensely from Pacquiao being his cash cow and for almost a decade of service to his company.
Manny Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz Jun Aquino/MP Promotions Filipino boxing analyst and broadcaster Ronnie Nathanielsz said Arum erred when he criticized Pacquiao in public for his stand on the same-sex marriage issue. ?I thought that it is very unbecoming of Bob Arum for him to do that,? Nathanielsz said on “The Score.” View and listen to what Nathanielsz had to say about this issue HERE. Pacquiao has a live contract with Arum’s Top Rank Promotions until the end of this year. But as Arum and Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz (who according to Arum was horrified with Pacquiao’s comments) treat Pacquiao the way they are doing lately, it appears that the two are done with Pacquiao even if his hands are tied till the end of 2016.
