Pacquiao’s anti-gay stance not likely to hurt ticket, PPV sales

Manny Pacquiao's comments about homosexuals last week cost him an endorsement deal with Nike. But will Pacquiao's remarks cost him at the box office when he faces Timothy Bradley Jr. on April 9 at the MGM Grand Garden, or from fans who might be deciding whether to buy the HBO Pay Per View telecast?

More important, will it cost him his run at the Senate in the Philippines?

The 37-year-old welterweight and eight-division world champion was being interviewed Monday about the Senate race by a Filipino news channel, and when specifically asked about gays and same-sex marriage, his response was: "It's just common sense. Do you see any animals of the same sex mating? Animals are better off, they can distinguish between male and female. Now if men are mating with men and women with women, then they are worse than animals."

Same-sex marriage is not allowed in the Philippines, where more than 80 percent of the 100 million population is Roman Catholic. Pacquiao had apologized after the comments aired and quickly were rehashed around the world.

But he posted Bible verses Thursday on the subject of homosexuality on his Instagram account that quoted that gays should be put to death. Those posts were later deleted. By then, Nike had severed its ties to Pacquiao.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Pacquiao's longtime promoter, said he doesn't know if fans will boycott the fight, for which Pacquiao is guaranteed to make at least $20 million. An MGM spokesman said, as of Friday, about 10,000 tickets had been sold for the fight, which will be the third between Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 knockouts) and Bradley (33-1-1, 13 KOs).

"I don't know how it's going to result in the end," Arum said. "Right now, the advance ticket sales are very good. We expect it to be a sellout or close to it. One thing I will say, it's attracting a lot of interest.

"Right now, promoting Manny is not just about promoting a fighter; it's about promoting a politician. It's like promoting (Donald) Trump. It causes a lot of interest.

"You have to understand, Manny is running for the Senate in the Philippines. The comments were made for a Filipino audience. It's a different culture. The Philippines is not America. His popularity went up in the polls after he said what he said."

Pacquiao is eighth among the 24 candidates running for the 12 available Senate seats. The election is scheduled for mid-May.

"Since he became an evangelical Christian, he has been very devout," Arum said. "Personally, I found what he said to be highly offensive and reprehensible, and I don't share his views. The analogy wasn't smart. But if that's what he feels in his heart, Manny has the right to say it. He is a decent human being."

Sig Rogich, a longtime public relations executive in Nevada and political image-maker, said he doubts Pacquiao's comments will hurt the sales for the fight.

"We see politicians say stupid things all the time," Rogich said. "Look at Trump; he attacks the pope.

"I think in Manny's case, he talked off the cuff, and it had a lot to do with his religious beliefs. I know Manny personally, and he has always been a good and decent person. And while I think it was a sad comment and I certainly don't agree with it, the fact he quickly apologized won't hurt him with the ticket sales for the fight. I don't think one incident will define who he is."

— Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj