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Manny Pacquiao is preparing to fight Timothy Bradley on April 9 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, in what could be the final bout of his illustrious career.

However, there's a storm brewing outside of the ring for comments he recently made comparing gays and lesbians to animals.

"It's common sense. Will you see any animals where male is to male and female is to female?" The Filipino pugilist told TV5 on Monday, February 15. "The animals are better. They know how to distinguish male from female. If we approve [of] male on male, female on female, then man is worse than animals."

The 37-year old former champion was quick to issue a public apology via his Twitter account.

"I'm sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals," he says in a video. "Please forgive me for those I've hurt. God Bless!"

The apology did little to quell the anger of those who were offended by Pacquiao's remarks. A Change.org petition has been started urging Nike to drop him as a spokesperson.

Read what it says below.

Dear Tim Hershey, Vice President of Global Merchandising for Nike and Executive Advisor to Nike’s LGBT Employee Network,

In past press releases, Nike has stated that "Nike is deeply committed to diversity, inclusion and unleashing the potential of all athletes." Nike has sponsored LGBT athletic events and conferences as well as fostered an LGBT employee resource network. Nike has also stated that they were a proud supporter of the LGBT Sports Coalition and "its initiatives to end discrimination in sport."

Yet, Nike remains associated with boxer Manny Pacquiao, a boxer who has most recently said same-sex couples are worse than animals and has in the past invoked religious language to call for their deaths. Pacquiao's expressions of homophobia and bigotry disqualifies him from being honored, endorsed and sponsored by one of the world's largest publicly-traded and owned athletic companies, particularly one that is celebrated and well-known for their promotion of sportsmanship and excellence.

We, the undersigned pledge to boycott Nike products until Nike ends their sponsorship deals with Pacquiao and removes him from their marketing and outreach materials. We call upon Nike to stand with the global LGBT community to send a strong and clear message of respect, inclusion, and tolerance to for athletes, gay or straight, as well as their fans and consumers.

As of this posting the petition has 2,817 signatures.

**UPDATE**

TMZ is reporting that Nike is on the verge of severing ties with Pacquiao on the heels of this growing controversy.

This would end a business relationship that began in 2006.

According to the report, the final decision hasn't been reached, but the powers that be are heavily leaning that way after discussing it.

Nike has removed the boxer's apparel from it's online store. 

**UPDATE** No. 2

Nike has severed ties with Manny Pacquiao. Read their statement below.

"We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent. Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community."

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