CAN A NEW FOUND DEVOTION TO GOD BRING BACK PACMAN?S WARRIOR EDGE?
?Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.?? Colossians 3:2
Manny Pacquiao is clearly a new man.
Gone are the wild days, the three day gambling and pool binges, the booze, and women other than his wife Jinkee, his thousands of fighting cocks, as well as his poker and pool room in Malate and his bars in General Santos City.
It all happened after Pacquiao barely squeezed by Juan Manuel Marquez in his last fight in November, a bout in which many people, including a fair share of Filipinos, thought he lost. Pacquiao returned to the Philippines clearly stung by the criticism. There were reports that his marriage was on the skids and that the family squabbles and fast-lane life had taken their toll on him. People were whispering that he had lost his special fighting edge that has, for the last 15 years, made him the darling of boxing fans everywhere.
Then one night, Pacquiao says, he woke up from a dream, sweating, crying, gasping for breath. In his dream God told him that he had gone astray from his teachings, and that he needed to change his ways. Since then Pacquiao has indeed devoted nearly every waking moment to bible study, prayer and even preaching. He has eschewed all vices and his wild ways, and become a man of God, quoting the bible to whoever will listen, imploring others to follow him.
Critics have said Pacquiao?s new found religiousness is a front for his political ambitions, but clearly this is not true. What it is, is yet another chapter in the fascinating life of Manny Pacquiao. But it is a chapter that is clearly fraught with danger and question marks for Pacquiao the boxer.
Pacquiao has now gone four fights without knocking out an opponent. After the Marquez controversy, more than a few fans have wondered if we?ll ever again see the free spirited whirling Dervish who fought and brutalized opponents for the sheer joy of it.
Those close to Pacquiao say he is a completely new man, happier and more at ease, and that the wholesale changes can only help him. But still, as he prepares to fight the undefeated and very capable American Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas on June 10, nagging questions persist. Can a man who preaches peace, love and prayer still find the fortitude to want to destroy his opponent who is out to knock him out? Can a man who outwardly says violence is against God?s will put it all aside for 45 minutes of brutal life threatening hand-to-hand combat? And does the way back to the old, carefree fighting Pacquiao travel through the new godly Pacquiao?
Dynamic Duo: Pacquiao confers with trainer Freddie Roach prior to training in Baguio City. The two have worked together since 2001 over 25 fights, notching up an incredible 23-1-1 record. (Photo by Ted Lerner)
When I visited Pacquiao?s training camp in Baguio in late April, he surely appeared in better spirits than I?ve seen in the past. He was still surrounded by plenty of hangers on,?the gamblers may be gone, but they?ve been replaced by quite a few religious types? and everywhere he goes there is a circus-like atmosphere around him. During the course of each afternoon training session, locals came and went, as did political allies and friends of Pacquiao who traveled from Manila. Everyone wanted a photo or autograph with their hero.
?It?s a way for Manny to give something back to his people,? Pacquiao?s long time trainer Freddie Roach told me of the open workouts. ?When we get to LA, we?ll be on our own. I?ll make sure of that.?
As he warmed up for his afternoon workout at the Shape Up Gym, a relaxed looking Pacquiao engaged some local writers with quotes from the bible. There was no talk of Bradley or Marquez. Pacquiao dictated the topics and it was always about God.
?What is the will of God?? Pacquiao asked one reporter. The champ didn?t wait for the answer. ?The will of God is to do good. To love thy neighbor as you love yourself.?
It was also like this when he wasn?t in the gym. As Pacquiao rose for his 6am workout, Christian music could be heard wafting out of his suite upstairs at the Cooyeesan Hotel. Each night, instead of playing basketball or heading off to Starbucks at the local SM Mall as he used to do, Pacquiao held an open bible study in a ballroom at the hotel for several hundred people where he preached and sang hymns.
Pacquiao skips rope as part of relentless three hour daily workout as fans look on in awe. (Photo by Ted Lerner)
When training time came, though, Pacquiao, as always, was all business, working relentlessly, sometimes up to three breathless hours without let up. Any questions about Pacquiao?s commitment and dedication to mortal combat with Bradley seemed to evaporate inside the gym as he fired off lighting quick and ferocious combinations during a mitt session with Roach. During sparring with a Russian spar mate, Pacquiao darted in and out with cat-like quickness, and threw brutal punches from impossible angles. But he also ate plenty of leather as well.
?The explosiveness is still there,? Roach said after a non-stop ten round mitt session. ? I?d like to see a little more consistency. It?s still early.? Roach said that Pacquiao can?t take Bradley lightly.
?Bradley?s a very, very durable tough guy. We can?t take him lightly and we?re not going to. Bradley?s going to come to fight. Some are saying he?s going to be a counter puncher like Marquez. That?s bullshit.? Roach talked a bit of strategy, noting that they are working on Manny avoiding Bradley?s rock-hard head, which he has been known to use as weapon.
?We do have to stop the head from coming. I got Manny using the angles and getting out. You just can?t stay in front of him.?
I noted that Roach and Pacquiao were repeatedly working on the right hook-left uppercut combination.
Power Punch: Roach and Pacquiao the right hook-left upper cut combination could be the money punch that takes out Bradley. (Photo by Wendell Alinea)
?That?s my favorite shot by Manny Pacquiao,? Roach said. ?Especially in this fight where the guy comes in low with his head first. That?ll be the ending combination in my mind.?
Overall, they plan as usual to be relentless, to use Pacquiao?s incredible speed and footwork and condition to create angles, apply non-stop pressure, not give Bradley a chance to breath.
?Down the stretch we?ll be stronger,? Roach said. ?He(Bradley) claims to be the hardest working fighter in the world, the best conditioned fighter in the world and we?re going to test that because I know my guy can go 12 rounds with his eyes closed. He?s saying he?s going to take out Manny in the late rounds, he says he?s a better conditioned athlete. We?ll see.?
Roach admitted that Pacquiao?s new found faith had him worried that the famous warrior spirit might not be there. Once he saw how Pacquiao was training, though, his worries subsided.
No More Basketball or Pool: After a hard day?s training Pacquiao held an open bible study every night in a function room at the Cooyeesan Hotel in Baguio. Pacquiao is so dedicated to bible study that he regularly preaches before hundreds of people. (Photo by Wendell Alinea)
?Coming into training camp I was worried about that myself, but the way he?s training right now, he?s working hard and giving me everything he?s got. He?s had a lot of distractions in his life and I?m sure since he?s gotten rid of a lot of distractions he?ll be a lot more focused. It can?t do anything but help him. He had a bad night in his last fight. It was his first bad night in ten years. Manny knows he has to make a statement in this fight. And he will.?
Of course these are words one would expect from a trainer like Roach, who is also a master of psychology in the lead up to fights.
But as D-Day approaches, even Roach is surely well aware that as always in boxing, anything is possible. And fighting for real is way different than training in the gym. In order to emerge victorious on June 10 vs. Tim Bradley, Pacquiao will have to come down from the ethereal and quickly rediscover the earthly pleasures of good old fashioned butt-kicking.
