Manny Pacquiao Negotiating New Deal After Nike Axe
Philippine
boxing hero Manny Pacquiao is holding sponsorship negotiations with
sports apparel companies after US giant Nike dropped him over his
controversial comments on same-sex couples, his business manager said on
Tuesday.Nike cut ties with the eight-time world champion last week after he described gay couples as “worse than animals”.
The
37-year-old’s comments, which Nike described as “abhorrent”, touched
off a firestorm of international criticism, particularly from US
athletes and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
“There
are several already now in the pipeline. They (the Pacquiao camp) were
actually negotiating with some already,” Pacquiao business manager Eric
Pineda told AFP without naming the companies.
He said they included a “multi-million-dollar” brand that would likely replace Nike as the supplier of Pacquiao’s sports gear.
Pineda
also said no Philippine-based companies had dropped Pacquiao as a
commercial endorser despite the furore over his comments.
“They
will still be sponsoring Manny. Just look at his shorts,” he said,
referring to commercial logos that cover the training togs of Pacquiao,
who is preparing to fight US foe Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas in April
and then retire from boxing.
Pacquiao, a national hero in the
Philippines, has made a fortune endorsing products and brands ranging
from automobiles, motorcycles, car batteries, pizzas, beer, a bank and
even property firms.
A devout Christian, Pacquiao has issued a
public apology while also defending his comments, saying he was merely
quoting the Bible.
He remains widely popular in the Philippines,
where he is running for a seat in the Senate in May elections, a
higher-profile national post than his current seat in the House of
Representatives representing a southern province.
Surveys have shown that despite Pacquiao’s lacklustre performance in parliament, he is likely to win a Senate seat. |
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