I watched the PACQUIAO-MARQUEZ fight, live and from beginning to end, of all places, in a church fellowship. I wanted to see how religious people react to a boxing match. 

They were cheering at every blow Manny Pacquiao inflicted on his Mexican opponent Juan Manuel Marquez, yet it was clear to everyone that Marquez was giving the better fight.  Everyone in the church consequently expected that the victory would go to Marquez. 

There was disappointment in the air.  The judges’ decision was awaited with bated breath, since Pacquiao, unlike in his earlier fights, wasn’t a clear winner.

I am sure everyone else in that church gathering was a boxing fan and was knowledgeable about boxing, yet I saw that these folks could not understand why Pacquiao was declared the winner.  I am also sure they were all patriotic Filipinos who wanted Pacquiao to bring home the glory again, yet I heard some women saying, in sympathy to Marquez, that they thought Marquez should have won.

Even Pacman could not fully raise his hands in victory right after the fight, before the judges’ decision was announced, whereas Marquez confidently raised his hands in victory. Pac Man humbly went to Marquez and his team to embrace them, and it seemed like he was already accepting a loss.  Even Pacquiao’s wife Jinkee looked like she was sensing a loss for her husband.

The senior pastor of the church, where some 400 church-goers watched the boxing match live and for free, ended the afternoon gathering with a thanksgiving prayer for Pacquiao’s victory that started with, “LORD, we do not understand the judges’ decision.”

On Facebook, the religious came out to justify the win of Pacquiao.  Enough hindsight had convinced them that Pacquiao deserved to win after all.  There were posted photos of Marquez stepping on the foot of Pacquiao in several rounds. 

In pointing out on my FB status that professional boxing is a violent sport, I rocked the boat, and people of the Word came out to defend this modern gladiator sport and their hero Pacquiao.

The Christians used to be fed to the lions as a sport to the Romans. Now the Christians are on the other side of the arena, in the seats, cheering for a sport that powerfully knocks the brains, ribs, and faces of the contenders.  The more blood, the more drama, just like in the days of the ancient Romans when they found art and drama in the way they killed and were killed. 

In the ancient Roman civilization, gladiators fought to the death. They practised and prepared for their fight, like it was a grand stage performance, to please the Roman crowd, and in the actual fight they would wait for a signal from the Emperor to kill the fallen contender, who had to die in a certain way to make his death dramatic; otherwise, the crowd would boo.  So even in their death, gladiators had to please the crowd. There were glory, gold, glamor, and entertainment in that violent ancient Roman sport, much like boxing today.

Of course, modern boxing has rules that make it not as barbaric (from a modern point of view, that is) as its ancient Roman counterpart, but these rules are fundamentally to make sure that the blows will not cause serious injury or death.  Whether boxing aficionados admit it or not, professional boxing is a violent sport, because it intentionally inflicts pain on the opponent to score. 

In some cases, it has led to serious injuries and physical disabilities, despite the rules.  Boxing legend Muhammad Ali is almost brain dead.  The Wikipedia entry on Ali states, “Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in 1984, a disease to which those subject to severe head trauma, such as boxers, are many times more susceptible than average.” 

Looking into the potential causes for Parkinson’s syndrome, we find dementia pugilistica or “boxer’s dementia (which) is a condition that occurs in boxers due to chronic brain trauma” (Wikipedia). 

In the dictionary, the definition for “gladiator” in the modern context is “professional boxer,” and that should give us a hint as to the precursor of boxing. Professional boxing is a modern gladiator sport, and it is violent and injurious, even deadly.  When spectators cheer for the boxer, they are in effect cheering for a serious risk to his life, whether they realize it or not.

The professional boxer prays for his life to be spared, besides the money he can win, when he is in a match.  With all the training and discipline that go into professional boxing, this is a sport of entertainment that in the end doesn’t make the entertainment, glory, and money generated from it worth it when the boxers themselves risk their lives to be in this sport.

We admire Pacquiao’s praying before, during, and after a fight, and religious Filipinos pray for a Pacquiao win.  We are in effect saying, when we pray for a Pacquiao win, “LORD, make Pacquiao inflict physical pain on his opponent greater than the physical pain his opponent can inflict on him.”  Aren’t we creating God in our own image, trying to make Him conform to our own likeness, by doing this?  We are expecting God to conform to what we want, even if it contradicts His expressed intentions for humankind.

People are created in the image of God, according to the likeness of the Triune God. The creation of humankind is recorded in Scripture this way, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’…” (Genesis 1:26).  How can we suppose that God supports a sport that inflicts pain and injury on the very image that He created to be a reflection of Himself?