Floyd Mayweather Jr. has called for Manny Pacquiao to be more tolerant after the Filipino described gay couples as being "worse than animals."  

According to TMZ Sports, he said: "We should let people live their lives the way they want to live their lives. To each his own."

Money's response came in the wake of Pacquiao's controversial interview with a Filipino television station, TV5 (h/t the Guardian), and his words echoed a tweet he sent in 2012 in which he revealed his support for gay marriage:

Pacquiao's comments were widely panned after being published on Tuesday. Per the Guardian's report, he said: "It's common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female. If men mate with men and women mate with women they are worse than animals."

Despite the backlash, CEO of Mayweather Promotions Leonard Ellerbe indicated his belief that Pacquiao has been treated more kindly in the media than Mayweather would have been had he made the same comments:

Manny later apologized on Twitter and Instagram:

British heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury recently hit the headlines for controversial comments about gay people, but he escaped sanction from the British Boxing Board of Control.

Pacquiao is one of the sport's most popular icons still active in the ring, though with his boxing career firmly in its twilight, he has made steps into the world of politics and is a member of the House of Representatives in the Philippines.

The 37-year-old, whose next fight—against Timothy Bradley on April 9—may well be his last, is running for a senatorial seat ahead of an election in May.