Manny Pacquiao could be headed for a grand reunion with the Catholic church following the reported “disappearance” of his pastor friends who were earlier denounced by his devout Catholic mother for taking so much of Pacquiao’s time in Bible study sessions Pacquiao’s mother, Mommy Dionisia, told Inquirer.net that her son usually stays up to the wee hours of the morning with his pastor friends trying to memorize and interpret the passages in the Bible. Mommy Dionisia believes the practice of staying late at night took its toll on her son’s health because he has little time to rest and sleep. She also believes that this practice has contributed to her son’s recent defeats against Timothey Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez. Fans and followers of the former pound-for-pond king, also noticed how Pacquiao has changed after taking a break from the Catholic church to join a Christian Bible study crusade on the prodding of his pastor friends. One of the common religious practices of Catholics is the Sign of the Cross which is often made whenever they start and end their prayers or when they pass by a Catholic church or whenever they start in a competitive fight like boxing. In the case of Pacquiao, his followers noticed how he failed to do the Sign of the Cross starting with his fight against Timothy Bradley and during his fourth fight against Juan Manuel Marquez. Pacquiao lost in both fights. Fans have also noticed Pacquiao’s failure to wear the Holy Rosary as he usually does before entering the ring and prior to his usual corner prayer ritual. They believe his failure to do the Sign of the Cross and wearing of the Holy Rosary which were part of his rituals before the fight begins, has something to do with his defeat against Bradley and Marquez. Yolly Alfante, president of the Mindanao Professional Boxing Association, bared the absence of Pacquiao’s pastor friends Wednesday. ?I myself had warned Manny about those guys. They were nowhere on Tuesday and Manny himself assured they were all gone,? Alfante told the Inquirer. Alfante said Pacquiao stared at her and signaled with both eyes and hands that there were no more pastors around, inquirer.net writes. Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum has reportedly met with with Marquez and his promoter, Fernando Beltran, to map out the plan for a fifth fight tentatively scheduled for September. According to Philstar.com Mexican newspaper Esto reported that Marquez wants $20 million guaranteed prize for a fifth fight with Pacquiao. But regardless of whoever Pacquiao fights next, many of his fans and supporters want to see him wearing the Holy Rosary and making the Sign of the Cross again as part of his usual ring ritual before the opening bell.
