Pacquiao in spotlight for stance on gay marriage

It hasn't been one of Manny Pacquiao's best weeks after he was taken to task for his opposite stance to President Barack Obama's support of same-sex marriage.

But Pacquiao, the reigning WBO welterweight champion who defends his title June 9 at the MGM Grand Garden against Timothy Bradley, might wind up coming out of the mess with more support. His promoter, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, said now that Pacquiao clarified his stance in which he supports gays and lesbians but not same-sex marriage, he might have picked up a new cadre of fans.

"Manny may have generated interest in the evangelical religious right," Arum said. "Maybe we can get Rick Santorum to walk to the ring with him."

That probably wouldn't sit well with Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, a friend of Pacquiao, who, incidentally, is supportive of same-sex marriage. Arum said just because Pacquiao and Reid are on opposite sides of one issue doesn't mean they no longer get along.

"You're not going to agree on every single issue; that's not the way it works," Arum said. "Manny and Harry are on opposite sides on this gay marriage issue. But when it comes to helping people and trying to improve people's lives, they're very much on the same side."

Arum said while he wished Pacquiao could have avoided this week's firestorm, he hoped to turn it into a positive for his fighter.

"We've had a lot of coverage in the media all week," Arum said. "These kinds of issues are so divisive. They create a lot of attention. And every story mentions the fight. Usually, we don't get this much exposure this far out. So in one respect, it has been a good thing.

"On balance, would I want this to happen? No. But when you have lemons, you make lemonade."

■ IN OR OUT? - While Pacquiao tries to put the same-sex marriage comments behind him, his trainer, Freddie Roach, finds himself in some controversy, though nothing close to approaching his fighter's.

Roach apparently had left USA Boxing, where he was serving as a consultant to then-head coach Joe Zanders. But Zanders is out and Basheer Abdullah is in, and Roach has been approached about coming back to help prepare the nine American fighters, including Las Vegas heavyweight Michael Hunter, for the London Olympics, which begin July 27.

Roach's agent, Nick Khan, said Friday that USA Boxing would like to get Roach back involved on a limited basis. A year ago, Roach was introduced amid great fanfare as a key consultant for USA Boxing. But between Zanders' reassignment last month and Abdullah being named the team's coach, Roach agreed to lay low, fueling speculation that he was out of the mix.

Abdullah reportedly has reached out to Roach, and they are expected to meet in the next two weeks in Los Angeles.

"Freddie remains committed to helping our young boxers," Khan said. "He didn't want to get in the middle of all the politics. But he's willing to talk to Basheer and see if he's wanted. If he is, he'll help in any way he can."

COMPILED BY STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL