Pacquiao Banned From Shopping Mall Over Gay Comments

Philippino boxer Manny Pacquiao is banned from The Grove shopping mall in Los Angeles. He might well be one of the most popular pugilists of the past two decades, however that might well be about to change after the devout Christian referred to the bible in order to express his feelings on gay marriage - and they weren't particularly in keeping with the sea change in this day and age.

Speaking to the National Conservative Examiner, Pac-Man said "God's words first ... obey God's law first before considering the laws of man," and continued "God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married," the boxer is quoted as saying. "It should not be of the same sex, so as to adulterate the altar of matrimony, like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah." A World Champion across multiple weights, Pacquaio's popularity in the sport is undimmed and in his native Philippines he is held in unbelievably high esteem. Nevertheless the wider world is frowning on this - with one shopping mall already banning him from their grounds, according to the Los Angeles Times. They report that The Grove in Los Angeles posted the following Tweet, reading "Boxer Manny Pacquiao is not welcome at TheGroveLA. TheGroveLA is a gathering place for all Angelenos, not a place for intolerance."

For his part Pacquaio has apparently denied saying any such thing, commenting on his site "I'm not against gay people.? I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way. What I'm critical off are actions that violate the word of God. I only gave out my opinion that same-sex marriage is against the law of God."