on manny pacquiao's loss

we did not buy ppv for manny's fight on saturday.  i was very disappointed from the last fight which pacquiao clearly won against bradley.  after that i told myself that i will not pay $70 to be made a fool again.

so last saturday, my husband found streaming video of the fight.  we watched.  

juan miguel marquez has always been manny's toughest opponent.  they are very evenly matched and i think they are two of the best boxers in recent history.  each of their fights could go either way.  not one person had the clear advantage.  this fourth bout was not different until that last punch that marquez threw against manny - it was all over after that.

needless to say, i'm sure you've seen it all over the news, on facebook, and twitter - manny pacquiao lost in a knock out.  manny was out.  it was scary.  

after the fight i tried my best to not read the tweets, facebook posts or the news but it was inescapable.  i knew i was going to read comments that are ignorant, sarcastic, idiotic, and just plain mean.  

there are several thousands, including manny's mom, that blame the loss to manny's new found faith which is completely ignorant and idiotic.  not often do i use such harsh words here in my blog.  they are not a regular part of my vocabulary either.  manny's faith has nothing to do with his loss.  manny was up against a great fighter, there is no doubt about that.

it's really easily to blame his faith.  2012 has been a tough year for manny's boxing career. but manny's life isn't just boxing alone.  sure, it's his bread and butter.  but compare the state of his life from previous years - the gambling, the women, the often rocky marriage with his wife...his life was in shambles while his boxing career flourished.  now, the tables have turned.  he lost 1 match this year ( i still refuse to believe that he lost the fight to bradley so that doesn't count), but the state of his personal life couldn't be better.  i don't know anyone who would pick success over their family and whoever does will regret it years later.  manny's life isn't just boxing.  that is not the center of his life.  

why does a nation put their hopes on one man?  he is a boxer, not anyone's savior.  i am amazed at manny's humility in his defeat and his positive outlook for his life and career. i pray that despite this setback, that he continues to develop his relationship with the Lord and that he will remain unwavering in his faith.  he has been blessed tremendously in many aspects of his life.  there is nothing he can complain about.  he is blessed.  

i wish he would stop boxing.  he's got nothing else to prove because he has a sure seat in the boxing hall of fame.  his record will stand for a long time.  but i don't think this is is last fight and we'll see him back in the ring again soon.