Boxing News: On The Ropes

NIKE has announced it will no longer sponsor Manny Pacquiao after he called homosexuals “worse than animals”.

“It’s common sense,” Pacquiao raved. “Do you see animals mating with the same sex?”

Perhaps not mating, Manny, but my dog Stan has an unusually close relationship with a Mini Schnauzer called Max. They can’t pass each other without a quick sniff of their butts.

Pacquiao issued a feeble apology for his homophobic ravings but the damage is done.

The fighter, who has been a proud champion for the Filipino people, has tarred himself as a small-minded bigot.

What is it with boxing and gay people? First Tyson Fury and now Pacquiao.

Both should be lauded as brave, skilful boxers.

But both are now widely thought of as small-minded idiots who share the prejudices of the Islamic State bigots who throw gays from rooftops.

It is weird that boxing should have this problem – the only sport where half-naked men routinely embrace at the end of a competition.

But the problem is not boxing. The problem is religion.

Both of the boxers who have ranted against homosexuality are committed Christians.

Like Fury before him, Pacquiao reminds us that few human beings are improved by deeply held religious beliefs. 

Tony Parsons, The Sun On Sunday. 

Glad someone pointed out Pacquiao and Fury's homophobia comes from their christianity, and this isn't a boxing thing.

How could it be?

Boxing's almost as gay as diving.

PS Great to see the free speech-hating Pink News has started one of their hysterical, relentless campaigns to have the infidel Pacquiao burnt at the stake (currently filing two (non) stories a day!)

1D Drugs Shame: George Michael To Blame!

For a true indication of how ‘hot’ a life of smoking dope turns out to be, you need look no further than George Michael, another pop star who also once had millions of impressionable children idolising him.

Last week, the 50-year-old was rushed to hospital after collapsing with a mystery illness.

And not for the first time. The past decade of his life has been racked with drug abuse — in 2009, he announced brazenly that he had cut down his cannabis intake from 25 joints a day to seven — and ill health.

He’s had convictions for driving under the influence of drink and drugs, and for lewd behaviour in public lavatories.

What a far cry he is now from the young man who had it all as part of Wham!, a singer adored all over the world, selling more than 25 million records.

George Michael today lives alone in his North London mansion.

True, he has a £105 million fortune, but in middle age he cuts forlorn figure — lost, lonely and unrecognisable from the beautiful young star he once was.

Compare him with his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley, who never took to cannabis and now leads a wholesome life with his long-term partner and stepson in a 15th-century castle in Cornwall.

Mail Online.

Wise words, Amanda, wise words...
Though you seem to be really arguing for the magical life-saving powers of being straight and married.

Update: And Tony Parsons - former George Michael court correspondent - joins in in The Sun.

Yes, that's the Tony Parsons who spent his days writing for the NME speeding off his nut.

Tom Daley: Sunday Worship

The sharks had been circling for some time but instead of swimming as fast as he could to get away, Tom Daley chose to climb onto a high moral platform, dive into perilous waters and scatter them.

Daley’s video “selfie”, posted on YouTube last Monday in which — dressed in a grey sweatshirt and propped up against Union Jack cushions — he revealed that he was dating a man and told fans that “I wanted you to hear this from me”, was a masterly piece of PR.

Gay men who had hidden their secret until much later in life praised the 19-year-old Daley for his bravery. Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga tweeted their support. Stephen Fry added: “I opened the second door on my Advent calendar and Tom Daley came out. Seriously @TomDaley1994 congratulations.”

What was, to say the least, a gamble by a sportsman who has a devoted following of teenage girls, a shrewd eye for publicity and a clutch of potentially twitchy commercial sponsors has so far seemed to pay off...

The Sunday Times.

Fagburn both hoped and feared that the Sunday papers were going to be packed full of Tom Daley today.

The broadsheets doing their lengthy ruminative analyses and profiles.

And I was worried one of the tabloids would splash with a big SCANDAL!
But it seems there is no "dirt" on our Tom, no ex-lovers to bonk-and-tell, and Fagburn gets the impression the wildest thing he's probably ever done was suck on a wine gum

Only the Sunday Mirror dug up some Daley-related dirt.

And it was some very old dirt; Dustin Lance Black once had a sex tape leaked online and he is 'furious'!

The video was made seven years ago and was leaked by Perez Hilton et al in 2009.

And the Mail did something about it last week.

Mirror Online today ran the now perhaps notorious photo of Dustin and Tom in a hot tub.

Note the cute caption in their cropped version below - and note, like just about all media, the Mail's now taking it as a given that the two actually are an item. 

Apparently Sophie Lee - Tom's best gal pal, who he said on Jonathan Ross was the first person he came out to - posted it on her Instagram page, but later deleted it (dates of both unknown).

[Mail Online, who are not averse to running six stories a day of tittle-tattle connected to the latest hot celeb story had nothing, but eventually found some photos of Tom arriving at Houston Airport Thursday!]

The Sun Sunday ran with a precis of Tom's wonderful "Wossy" interview, and its new star columnist, the blokey bloke Tony Parsons, reminded readers how so-brave young Mr Daley is; "Tom Daley shows the way. Be proud of who you are. Be unapologetic. Be open. And, yes, be brave.
"And the haters will all have no choice but to shut their worthless little cakeholes."
Beautifully put, Tone, mate.
Surprisingly The Sunday Times was the only broadsheet to publish a profile of the boy wonder, Top marks for full twist, somersault, and outing.
Endless diving metaphors, so brave, rumours, tabloids circling, sports closet, sponsorship deals, sign of the times, kids today, Tom's dad, social media savvy, great support, inspiration, Dustin, super smashing great etc.
They also had out gay rugby referee, Nigel Owens, talking about Tom and ye olde sports closet - a subject The Observer also found fascinating.
As did footie legend, Stan Collymore, who in his Sunday People column gushed; Let Tom Daley be an inspiration - it's time for a gay footballer to step out of the shadows for the first time.
I look forward to not reading any of these.
Best of all - though the competition was pretty flaccid - was Independent On Sunday columnist, Dom Joly, who fondly remembered appearing with our Tom in the first series of Splash!

His video, released last week, in which he came out was equally brave [as a 10-metre dive]. I don't think that it came as much of a surprise to anyone, I certainly got a strong feeling when I met him that there was probably not going to be a Mrs Daley.

This was ironic because even when we were practising in the dive pool in Plymouth there would be a posse of excited young girls watching his every move and using cameras with staggeringly powerful zooms to capture him in budgie smugglers. On the night of the actual competition the place was packed to the rafters like a One Direction concert.

As we competitors were introduced one by one there was polite applause and the occasional "who?" Then Tom Daley was introduced and I nearly lost both eardrums. He appeared on the top board, lit by a single spotlight with his arms outstretched like Christ. The screams rose to a crescendo before Tom lifted off, did some impressive spins and cleaved the water below.

Top marks.