Pacquiao's Faith Should Not Be Troubled After Loss, Says Filipino Writer
A writer for a Filipino publication has argued that professional boxer Manny Pacquiao should not let his recent defeat harm his Protestant Christian faith.
Ted Laguatan, contributor to the Philippine publication inquirer.net, wrote Monday that Pacquiao should not see this as a failure of faith.
"If Pacquiao is sincerely committed to loving God and his fellowmen as God commands him to, he will understand that winning or losing a boxing match, no matter what importance the world may place on it – is nothing more than just a mere incidental in his life," wrote Laguatan.
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"He will also understand that God expresses his love for us not only in giving us successes, joys and pleasures – but also in giving us failures, pains and suffering – in order to make us humble and bring us closer to Him."
Laguatan observed that some had posited the idea that Pacquiao's leaving the Roman Catholic Church for Protestant Christianity may have cursed him.
"While I am a Catholic, I hope he does not believe as such. If so, then his belief would be as shallow as those who go to church on Sundays with the thought that if they don't they will be unlucky in business or in some other aspects of their lives," wrote Laguatan.
"Believing like so is no different from plain superstition."
On Saturday, Manny Pacquiao battled Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico City at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was the fourth fight between the two boxers, as three bouts since 2004 had lacked a decisive unanimous decision.
In the sixth round in their fourth bout against each other, Marquez delivered a major knockout blow in which Pacquiao was left motionless for a couple minutes.
"Marquez's sixth-round knockout of Pacquiao at the MGM Grand on Saturday night was stunning. There's no other way to put it," wrote Ian Hanford of the Bleacher Report.
"Marquez's violent right hand on Saturday night ensured that his role in this rivalry will be remembered above all else."
Even though Marquez and Pacquiao have had four fights, there are already talks of possibly having a rematch. As reported by Tim Dahlberg of The Washington Post, right after the knockout punch was laid another fight was considered.
"The case could be made that Pacquiao was on the verge of a big win himself when Marquez landed the punch that sent him falling face first on the canvas," wrote Dahlberg.
"He had come back from a third round knockdown to drop Marquez in the fifth and was landing big left hands that broke and bloodied the Mexican's nose."
