"there has only ever been one perfect man, the Lord Jesus, and we killed him. I only missed a putt."
Pacman Autobiography
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Manny Pacquiao, Nashville, Dunham Books, 2010. ISBN 978- 1-4276-4768-9
The autobiography tells the story of a person who started with nothing and rose to the pinnacle of the boxing world through talent and sheer determination. Faith in God shines through the book. Twice he mentions a boyhood dream to join the Catholic priesthood and serve God.
Faith in God is an important theme with references to his generosity in giving money away coming from a sense that “God gave us everything”. He writes about how God has blessing him with his ability, God keeping him safe and his desire to give all the glory to Him. He writes about prayer and answered prayer. He expresses a desire to be world champion “if that was going to be God’s will”. He also writes about having “God, in my corner”. Of the fight with Oscar de la Hoya he writes: “The truth is I knew God wanted me to fight and I knew He wanted me to win. Before that fight I prayed like I’d never prayed before. If you truly believe as I do and your faith is so strong, it cannot be shaken under any circumstances - then there is no reason to be nervous about anything in life. Faith and confidence go hand in hand”. Unfortunately he does not unpack how he “knew” God wanted him to win.
Nowhere does he address the issue of any conflict between boxing and his Christian faith. I wonder if as a Catholic the issue is seen differently. He does pose the question: “How does this nice guy, this warm and giving individual also beat and pummel people in the ring?” The answer he gives is: “Boxing is my profession, and I approach my work with an intensity that I wouldn’t use in normal circumstances”. He explains why his brother gave up boxing: “The reason he doesn’t box anymore is because he doesn’t have it in him to really go to war with people. Luckily I do”. Another insight into his attitude came after knocking Ricky Hatton out. He describes the scene: “Immediately I went back to my corner, got on my knees, and prayed to God. I prayed for Ricky’s safety and I thanked God for mine as well. This was a great win and the best knockout ever in my career”.
Another place where he comes close to the issues is in the statement: “God teaches us to love our enemies as we love ourselves. What this means to me is that we must work hard at forgiving and loving one another, especially those who are the hardest to forgive”. Unfortunately he does not apply that to boxing.