Manny Pacquiao says gays ‘worse than animals’ comments were taken out of context
Boxing champ Manny Pacquiao has said comments he made about gay people being “worse than animals” were taken out of context.
Eight-time world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao sparked criticism across the world in February, after describing gay couples as “worse than animals”.
Despite the controversy, it was previously reported that voters in the mainly Catholic Philippines, may still vote for Pacquiao for one of 12 vacant Senatorial seats there.
Pacquiao has also gone on to say that he was not bothered about the backlash – despite losing millions in sponsorship after being dropped by Nike, which described his views as “abhorrent”.
HBO, which is set to broadcast a fight between the boxer and Timothy Bradley later this year, described the comments as “insensitive, offensive and deplorable”.
But Pacquiao has now said his comments were taken out of context, apologising for them.
“I don’t mean to condemn them. No one can condemn anyone,” Pacquiao said, according to the New York Post.
“I apologise for using words that no one wanted to hear.”
“The interview was five to ten minutes long and they cut it,” he went on, claiming that it was edited down to just the words about homosexuality.
Last month Pacquiao was banned from an LA shopping centre over the comments.
