Floyd Mayweather Jr. (left) and Manny Pacquiao. AFP FILE PHOTO
Floyd Mayweather Jr. beat Manny Pacquiao again and this time, the former pound-for-pound king put the Filipino boxing legend in his place after his controversial comments on lesbians and transgenders.
Pacquiao drew flak after describing gay couples and lesbians as “worse than animals.”
“I feel like we should stay positive and we should let people live their lives the way they want to live their lives. To each his own,” Mayweather told TMZ Sports in a video interview.
READ: Pacquiao likens gays to animals, draws flak
Pacquiao, who is running for a Senate seat in the May elections, eventually apologized for his comments.
“I’m sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt,” Pacquiao said in a statement. “I still stand by my belief that I’m against same-sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I’m not condemning LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender). I love you all with the love of the Lord. God Bless you all and I’m praying for you.”
READ: Pacquiao sorry for gays-animals comparison, stubborn on same-sex unions
“I apologize if I hurt the feelings of those who belong to the LGBT community. I feel that as a leader it is my moral responsibility to tell and stand by what is right and what I believe is true. I respect LGBT rights and I have nothing personal against them. But I hope they will also understand my own stand and belief regarding the issue…”
The 37-year-old Pacquiao lost to Mayweather via unanimous decision last year. Pacquiao is set to retire after his third meeting with Timothy Bradley on April 9 in Las Vegas.