Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao says gays are worse than Animals

Boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has sparked outrage after describing gay couples as "worse than animals".

Pacquiao, 37, is closing in on the end of his in-ring career, having been an eight-time world champion.

He is currently in the process of re-inventing himself in his homeland as he moves into politics, running for a senate seat in the country's May elections. When asked about his views on gay marriage, outlawed in the Philippines, he offered his shocking views.

"It's common sense. Do you see animals that go male to male or female to female? So the animals are even better," Pacquiao told local broadcaster TV5 in an interview aired this week.

"Because they know how to distinguish from male to male or female to female. Right? Now if we allow male to male or female to female, then that makes us worse than animals."

It is not the first time Pacquiao has offered his feelings on the subject. He is quoted in a National Conservative Examiner article from 2012 declaring: "God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married."

Pacquiao has immersed himself in Christianity in recent years and claims his new-found faith as the inspiration for turning him from a free-spending gambler into a devoted family man.

Gay marriage is outlawed in the Philippines, with Catholicism the country's main faith. Gay marriages are officiated at small churches but such unions are not recognised by the Catholic church, nor the state.

Singer Aiza Seguerra, who recently married her girlfriend, called on voters to boycott Pacquiao in his senate bid, calling him an "ignorant, bigoted hypocrite".

"You might have done our country proud but with your statement, you just showed the whole country why we shouldn't vote for you," Seguerra said in a post on Instagram.

Pacquiao gave the television interview as part of his campaign for one of 12 seats in the nationally-elected senate.

He is running for a Senate seat under Vice President Jejomar Binay's UNA party in the upcoming elections.

"Outside the boxing ring, I don't think Manny Pacquiao should be taken seriously. It struck me first as funny. I pity him," Kakay Pamaran, a pastor at one of Manila gay churches, told AFP.

"I would advise him to talk to more LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual and transgender) persons, meet them and not just reduce his concept of LGBT to the sexual act."

Pacquaio last fought in May last year, losing by unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather in their $400million superfight.

He next heads into the ring in April, when he takes on Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas, in what is said to be the Filipino's final fight, before devoting himself entirely to his political ambitions.

UPDATE:

Pacquiao has taken to Twitter to publicly apologise on Tuesday morning for his comments.

I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I've hurt. God Bless! pic.twitter.com/bqjRcWqp8R — Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) February 16, 2016

I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I've hurt. God Bless! pic.twitter.com/bqjRcWqp8R — Manny Pacquiao (@mannypacquiao) February 16, 2016