Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao's recent negative comments about same-sex marriage and political plans have prompted a number of people to ask Bob Arum, Pacquiao's promoter, to postpone the fighter's third match against Timothy Bradley. Arum said rescheduling the fight is not possible.
Arum, owner of Top Rank Promotions, argued that there is massive interest in the fight, especially among those who want to watch the match via PPV. Arum said that Pacquiao-Bradley 3 will generate interest among boxing fans because "it's a good fight," Boxing News 24 reported.
However, several fight fans and boxing observers believe that the match does not attract the usual fanfare that comes with a Pacquiao fight. While previous Pacquiao events send the boxing world abuzz, fans and experts alike lamented how disengaged fight fans are at this time, according to Fight Saga.
Experts are saying that Pacquiao (57-6-2, 38 KOs) is faced with too many distractions due to the recent criticisms levelled at him, after his opposing remark on same-sex unions as well as his own ambition to land a seat at the Philippine Senate in the coming May elections. Observers agree that Pacquiao will find it hard to devote himself to training while worrying about his campaign for votes.
The rubber match between Pacquiao and Bradley (33-1-1, 13 Kos) is set on April 9 while the Philippine election takes place on May 3. Despite Nike cutting their ties with Pacquiao, the boxer was recently seen wearing a customized Nike shirt while training. The footwear and sports enterprise described Pacquiao's statements as "abhorrent" and stated that their relationship with the prizefighter no longer does exist.
Supporters of the Filipino champion demonstrated their protest against Nike by encouraging people to boycott their products while some decided to throw or burn their Nike shoes. Other videos posted online show Filipino seafarers dumping their pair of Nike shoes into a trash bin.
See some fans of the Pacman burn their Nike footwear in the video below: