By TMZ Sports
Manny Pacquiao's longtime promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank says he AGREES with Nike's decision to fire the boxer -- condemning his anti-gay comments as offensive and completely out of touch.
Arum joined the guys on the "TMZ Sports" show (airs Wednesday at 9 PM PT, 12 ET on FS1) -- and took a stand AGAINST his own client saying, "Manny's remarks were offensive to many people ... Nike acted appropriately."
You gotta watch the entire interview on the show tonight on FS1 -- we asked Arum if he believes Manny is a homophobe and whether or not he'll drop Manny as a client.
Nike issued a statement saying, "We find Manny Pacquiao's comments abhorrent."
"Nike strongly opposes discrimination of any kind and has a long history of supporting and standing up for the rights of the LGBT community."
"We no longer have a relationship with Manny Pacquiao."
As we previously reported, the two sides have had a relationship since at least 2006 -- but Nike had a major problem with Manny saying gay people are "worse than animals."
Multiple sources connected to the situation tell us Manny personally tried to save the deal up until the last minute.
We're told several members of Manny's team had been communicating with Nike all morning -- begging the company to reconsider and give Manny another chance.
In the end, Manny's pleas fell on deaf ears ... and Nike dropped the hammer.
Pacquiao, an evangelical Protestant, also apologized via social media on Tuesday for those statements while discussing his position on gay marriage.
"It's common sense. Do you see animals mating with the same sex? Animals are better because they can distinguish male from female," Pacquiao told television station TV5.
After a barrage of criticism, Pacquiao asked for forgiveness.
"I'm sorry for comparing homosexuals to animals. Please forgive me for those I've hurt," he said in a video post on Instagram.
Pacquiao returns to the ring for what he says is the final time on April 9th, in a trilogy bout with Timothy Bradley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.