Every decade has its share of Michael Jordans — iconic athletes who stand out in their generation. Jordan certainly stands out more than most, but there are always two or three athletes per sport who fans will remember for decades to come. In boxing, the last decade has been claimed by Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, yet the pair has been as criticized for their public statements and domestic violence as they have been lauded for their athleticism. While they displayed their unquestionable dominance in the boxing ring time and time again, they each suffered their own socio-political shortcomings. The end result has been intensive media scrutiny and public perception of them as self-centered, multi-millionaire athletes.

Pacquiao, however, exists in another echelon due to his status as a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. He currently holds a seat in the Philippines House of Representatives and is also campaigning to become a senator in 2016. It is presumed that he intends to run for president in the near future.

Outside the political sphere, Pacquiao also enjoys basketball. Despite standing a mere five feet six inches, he insists on pursuing a sport that favors freakishly tall people. After briefly participating as a player-coach on a semipro team, he made history when he became the oldest rookie player ever drafted in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was picked 11th overall by the KIA Sorento basketball team in the 2014 PBA draft. He also releases music albums and stars in films and television programs.

Despite all his success and accolades, Pacquiao, a devout Evangelical Protestant, has a reputation for publicly condemning LGBTQ people. Recently on TV5, a popular Philippine television network, Pacquiao stated, “If men mate with men and women mate with women, they are worse than animals.” Not long after his statement, Pacquiao justified his words with religious means, undoubtedly a failed attempt to gain more voters in the upcoming senatorial election.

After endless backlash from his supporters, his subsequent apology lacked authenticity. He took to Instagram to write, “I’m sorry for hurting people by comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I’ve hurt. I still stand on my belief that I’m against same-sex marriage because of what the Bible says, but I’m not condemning LGBT. I love you all with the love of the Lord. God Bless you all and I’m praying for you.” Like many celebrities who suffer the consequences of using offensive language, Pacquiao used his strong social media platform to regain the support of his fans with an empty apology.

Later that week, Nike made headlines by dropping their endorsement deal with Pacquiao. Nike isn’t what one would call a socially conscious company; it would be naïve to assume there weren’t ulterior motivations at play. Nike is known for employing underage workers in third-world countries for eight-hour days for far less than minimum wage — some cases documenting compensation at less than 14 cents per hour. They have been exposed for countless cases of exploitative child labor, yet they made a commendable stand against Pacquiao when his comments garnered international backlash in the twilight of his career. Pacquiao’s marketability will decrease substantially when he retires, which suggests that Nike’s admirable public relations stunt was little more than opportunistic business savvy.

Unsurprisingly, Mayweather — Pacquiao’s long time rival and the other Jordan of the decade — had his own opinions of the debacle. Mayweather began by saying, “We should let people live their lives the way they want to live their lives. To each his own.” To his credit, Mayweather is known for his support of the LGBTQ community. For example, during the 2012 presidential elections he tweeted, “I stand behind President Obama & support gay marriage. I’m an American citizen & I believe people should live their life the way they want.”

While Mayweather’s criticism of his former competitor is admirable at first glance, like Nike, Mayweather is blatantly attempting to rebrand his tarnished image by scapegoating Pacquiao. Following multiple allegations of sexual assault, defamation and domestic violence, the rhetoric surrounding Mayweather’s personal life hasn’t exactly been positive. But almost instantaneously, with two sentences supporting LGBTQ people and criticizing the current villain, Mayweather is the good guy again, with past allegations seemingly swept under the rug.

Despite the multi-faceted intentions of celebrities and international corporations that extend beyond Nike and Mayweather, Pacquiao has earned himself a drool for his despicable comments. Due to his status and influence in the sports world, he should be paving the way for a more inclusive athletic environment. After being dropped by Nike, he remarked, “I’m happier because I’m telling the truth … I’m happier that a lot of people were alarmed by the truth.” It is a shame that his millions of fans will validate his homophobia to the extent that he is “happy” about the events that transpired. As Mayweather retires and Pacquiao embarks on what may be his last fight on April 9, we can only hope that future sports icons will have the courage to change the homophobic stigmas in boxing.