Nigel Owens' riposte to boxer who suggests death sentence as gay deterrent

International referee Nigel Owens has hit out at comments made by an Australian boxer who suggested the death penalty could be used to deter people from being gay.

Former champion boxer Anthony Mundine - who has close associations with All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams and Wallabies flyhalf Quade Cooper - suggested the deterrent after being voted off a reality TV show.

Mundine is reported as saying: "If we were to live in a society, just like in Aboriginal culture, that homosexuality is forbidden and you do it and the consequences are capital punishment or death, you think you are going to do it? Or think twice about doing it?”

Owens - an LGBTQ advocate and gay man - took to Twitter to slam the boxer's comments.

"Being gay is not a choice," stated Owens.

"I fought against being who I truly am for years but then realised I had no choice in the matter. But you have a choice to respect and treat everyone the same. Maybe this clown will have a son one day who will be gay. Will he tie the noose himself?"

Mundine then took to social media to say that his comments were an expression of his religious views.

Mundine has close associations with Sonny Bill Williams and Quade Cooper - both of whom have flirted with professional boxing careers. All three have at some stage being managed or represented by promoter Khoder Nasser.