There is more to Manny Pacquiao than just boxing. The guy is relatively intelligent, can perform a repertoire of songs with a live band, does B movies, knows a little about statecraft, and yes, he prays a lot.
He definitely has strong faith in the Almighty. He prays before he trains, he prays after he trains, and he only trains in a gym that has a cross on the wall.
The members of the Pacquiao team (read: gofers) are members of his prayer group. These guys could tell you that their boss “altar time” is between 8 p.m.-10 p.m. every night.
He prays before he fights, he prays after the fight. He has his personal priest-pastor who holds pre-fight and post-fight celebrations of the Catholic holy mass.
However, very few pay attention to Pacquiao’s spirituality; you can scan and browse boxing websites and you will find virtually nothing on Godliness about the Hall of Fame-bound prizefighter. Even Christian sportswriters are hesitant to write about Pacquiao’s faith because, well, his wicked punch says a lot more than anything else that he has, much less his ritualistic adoration to his God, which is downright unsettling to sportswriters who are nominal Christian believers, dead Catholics, and nonbelievers.
The one thing that people do not realize is being connected to a personal God obviously makes Pacquiao a stronger and better person. And the Pacman is not ashamed to ascribe to the Lord all his strength and natural abilities. Boxing fans don’t notice it when the Pacman acknowledges his God by raising his fists to high heavens every time he sends his opponents kissing the canvas. He is a better person because Pacquiao shares his blessings to the poor Filipinos. Everybody knows that his generosity is legendary; the people who help him in his finances sometimes complain that the champ can be very generous to a fault. He is a better person because, unlike a lot of successful athletes, this street urchin-turned multi-millionaire does not say cuss words or do trash talks.
When Chicago-based boxing champ David Diaz was issuing pre-fight rants that he would pulverize the Pacman, the Filipino superstar replied with biblical humility saying, “The Lord only knows the outcome (of the match). For me, I just train very hard and pray to God each time I fight.”
Of course, we knew what happened during the fight. It was the fast and furious fists of that Pacman that did the talking, leaving the face of the cocky Diaz a bloody mess. The sportswriters got back at Diaz for a reality check. “What happened out there?” the sports scribes wanted to know. “The guy is f….. good. I did not see where the punches are coming from,” said Diaz.
Exactamente. You do not mess up with a prayerful warrior like little David in the bible. These warriors are confident fighters because their battles belong to the Lord. (davecasuco@yahoo.com)
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