Manny Pacquiao: Bob Arum Shouldn't Be Worried About Pac-Man's Faith

Bob Arum has nothing to worry about when it comes to Manny Pacquiao.

Pacquiao's recent return to his religious roots won't affect his ability to perform in any way when he steps into the ring on June 9 against unbeaten boxer Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas to defend his World Boxing Organization welterweight championship. 

ABS-CBNNews.com reports that Arum is getting nervous about his boxer's lifestyle changes:

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My problem is, what Pacquiao are we going to see? You have to understand, since the last fight last November, he has become a totally different person. He’s super religious. He does Bible study every night. Sometimes, I get the impression that I’m promoting (former Republican presidential candidate) Rick Santorum, and not Manny Pacquiao.

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Pac-Man's recent turn back to his faith is due to the fact that his wife filed for divorce right before his fight against Juan Manuel Marquez in November. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, his trainer Freddie Roach recently admitted that Pacquiao was distracted before the fight because of the turmoil that followed the bad news. Since then, Pacquiao has made major changes to his lifestyle to go along with his re-commitment to his Christian beliefs.

Roach told the Los Angeles Times, "He's given away his cockfighting farm [in the Philippines], sold his casino and his nightclub. Now, he's back with his wife, reading the Bible every day, and he's given up basketball."

That hardly sounds like reason for concern.

If anything, I'd be inclined to think Pacquiao is more focused than ever on the things that matter most to him—boxing being one of them.

There are plenty of successful MMA fighters—not to mention the plethora of NFL players—who devote themselves wholly to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Some of the best athletes in the world are Christians, and Pacquiao isn't going to suddenly forget how to fight now that his focus is on Christ instead of on himself.

Pac-Man is one of boxing's most dynamic fighters and reliable champions. His Christian beliefs won't change that fact in the least.

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