Freddie Roach, an Irish-American who is a devout Catholic, may not be one of the avid disciples who gather around Pound-for-Pound-Best-Boxer-Turned-Preacher Manny Pacquiao during the long Bible studies held at least twice a day, but he swears that the Filipino boxing icon?s ?addiction? to the Holy Book has really changed him. ?He has changed 100%. He is more powerful now. Yesterday, when we did the mitts, he really punished me,? Roach testified.
Manny?s new found power is not a result of Divine Intervention but is mainly the benefits earned by a well-rested athlete who has done away with drinking and the almost nightly gambling, including games of darts and billiards.
?Those late night drinking and the gambling that went well into early morning of the next day really affected him. And you have to understand that Manny is no longer a young man that he used to be,? said the Hall of Fame trainer under whose stewardship the raw and awkward Pacquiao was transformed into one of the best fighting machines the boxing world has ever known.
Roach, who has consistently distanced himself from Pacquiao?s out-of-boxing activities, said Manny was at his worst shape in his last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.
Prior to the third fight with the Mexican boxing legend, Pacquiao would spend the nights playing darts with his friends in his Los Angeles apartment, The Palazzo.
Even during the early stages of the preparation for the third meeting with Marquez in Baguio City, he was deeply involved in basketball and billiards tournaments giving away cash prizes in the hundreds of thousands and staying up late.
While he had started his involvement with Bible studies and group prayers prior to the third Marquez fight, it was after New Year?s Day that Pacquiao?s deep involvement with religious activities and prayer meetings was more pronounced.
He publicly declared that he would stop gambling, drinking, and yes, obliquely admitted that he will end his days as a gigolo by saying: ?I will end all of those rumors that I have a lot of women.?
The hundreds of heads of gamefowls, some of them imported from the US, were given away to friends and relatives.
With the help and guidance of several spiritual advisers, the boxing legend started memorizing verses in the Bible and spiced his media interviews with Biblical quotes.
Some observers said Pacquiao tends to be overdoing things. ?Masyado namang OA ang kanyang pagka-relihiyoso.? (His religiosity has gone beyond bounds.)
OA or deeply sincere, Roach does not mind.
?If you will call his deep involvement with the Bible an addiction, this is one addiction that I would like Manny to be hooked into,? Roach said.
Even those closest to him are finding it difficult to adapt to the new lifestyle that Pacquiao is leading.
Nonoy Neri, one of his assistant trainers who has been with him since the early days of his boxing career and who breeds gamefowls as a hobby, is feeling uneasy these days because Pacquiao promised to visit his farm bringing with him green papayas to be mixed with chicken soup.
The chicken, of course, would be Nonoy Neri?s favorite fighting roosters.
?But this is my only hobby,? Neri complained.
Assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, childhood friend of Pacquiao, says he has easily adjusted to the new set up and has started to memorize Bible verses himself.
?This is a lot better now. Now, he is giving money to religious groups and churches but the amount is a lot less than what he wasted on gambling, billiards, basketball and drinking,? said Buboy.
Perhaps, the happiest person is Pacquiao?s wife, Jinkee, who, since her husband?s rise to sports stardom, had to contend with rumors of Manny?s infidelity.
While she was able to put up with Pacquiao?s addiction to gambling, even accompanying him to the casino and the gamefowl derbies, Jinkee was obviously affected by stories which linked the boxing champion to a long list of women, including those who publicly asked for child support.
Today, there is a constant smile in Jinkee?s face as she joins her husband in the daily Bible studies and religious gatherings.
The change in Manny Pacquiao is also affecting people around him.
?I don?t know what?s going to happen to his former gambling buddies,? Roach said adding that those who were associated with Manny in past because of his out-of-boxing activities are getting scarce lately.
There are also people around him who believe that Pacquiao?s religiosity has given him healing powers.
One former movie star was overhead saying that he regained his 20-20 vision after being embraced by Pacquiao. ?It?s a miracle,? he said.
True or not, there is a one certain miracle that happened: the transformation of Manny Pacquiao to the New Manny Pacquiao.
Praise be the Lord!
