Mayweather Vs Pacquiao

Since it is Monday and it’s likely that everyone at work will be talking about the fight from over the weekend, I thought I would incorporate it into today’s devotion.

It was the most hyped up fight I have ever lived through. They are calling it the fight of the century.

First of all why was it so hyped up?

Well, for starters, it was one of the most expensive fights in history.

Here is a breakdown of Mayweather’s earnings from Saturday’s fight:
$180,000,000 (yes that is 7 zeros after the 18, not a typo!!!) just for the fight
That means:
$15,000,000 per round
$5,000,000 per minute
$83,333 per second

Mayweather was making more per second than the average American makes in two years! Geez!

Plus, besides the money it was the battle between two of the greatest fighters in the world.

PacMan vs. Money Mayweather

or how I would view it… the fight of Good vs. Evil

Let me just give you a quick recap of the two fighters:

Manny Pacquiao:
-Humble beginnings from Philippines
-Homeless for part of his childhood
-Boxed and worked to provide food for him and his family
-Even though he was forced to drop out of high school due to extreme poverty he later went back to finish and then pursue a college education.
-Member of the Philippine House of Representatives


Floyd Mayweather jr.
-His website is “the Money Team”
-2002 charged with domestic violence
-2004 Convicted battery of 2 women
-Served a jail term for domestic abuse in 2012
-Loves flaunting his money, fame, and power





Both lived up to their stereotypes heading into the ring on Saturday night.

Manny Pacquiao:
-Wore a humble T-shirt that read, “Jesus is the name of the Lord”
-Smiles and greets people as he is led to the ring
-First thing he does upon entering the ring is drops to his knees to pray

Floyd Mayweather jr. :
-Wore a flashy, bling outfit showing off “the Money Team”

-Rolled up in a Rolls Royce

-Jumps up and down boasting about how great he is

-Strolled up (trying to look hard) with a celebrity entourage consisting of celebrities such as Justin Beiber (side note, if Justin Beiber is part of your entourage, you are definitely on the wrong side) and the Burger King mascot (Just why???)

So there I was, sitting at home hoping to see Manny knock the socks off of this cocky fool.

Yet Pac-man was unable to knock him out. Worse still, even though Mayweather did nothing but avoid a fight the whole night, they awarded him the victory.

Two seconds before the fight is even over, Mayweather was already lifting his hand up as if to say he was the champion and then proceeded to jump up on the side of the ring demanding them to put the belt on him. The crowd boo’d at his haughty celebration and he yelled back at them. Meanwhile Manny humbly thanked his fans from each corner.

As I drove home that night I wondered to myself (as I do about many things in life), why God?

Why do you let someone as self-centered and money obsessed as Mayweather take home the glory and title of champion. Why not award this humble man who lives to serve you with the win?  Why didn’t you give Pacquiao the victory?

But then I realized, He already did.

1 Corinthians 15:57

Through Christ, we have been given the victory. A MUCH MUCH MUCH more important victory than some silly boxing match victory over death. Through the victory of Christ, anyone who accepts Jesus will share in the victory and reign forever.

Pacquaio already knew this and actually said pretty much the same thing in the interview prior to the big fight.

With millions watching the pre-fight interview he said:

"I want to let know that everything that I have accomplished is God who gave me the strength," he said, "I just want to be an example and inspiration to everybody, how my life before I became a boxer, I used to sleep in the street starving/hungry, and now I can not imagine that the Lord raised me in this position."

He said he and Mayweather both would do their best to give fans the best fight yet. Pacquiao did say that although the fight is going to be incredible that is not the biggest part.

"The most important thing is that I hope that after the fight [I] can have a conversation with Floyd, sharing my faith about God, there's nothing bad about that," he stated, "[On] how we need to believe and how we can inspire more people especially those children that are looking [up] to us."

"There is [a] God that can raise someone from nothing into something, Jesus is the name of the ord" he concluded.

What an incredible man.

Countless times we see good, Godly, and righteous men lose in the world’s eyes, but are winning the eternal battle.

Practically every disciple or apostle was killed for his/her beliefs in the days of the early church.  It may seem as if their opponents won and they lost… but they were not defeated.

1 John 4:4

We just have to remember, that sometimes we don’t “win” in the worldly competitions, because that is not what is important. It is important that we are winning the eternal competitions and battles.

1 John 5:4-5

Pacquiao shows that he is a true champion and is not only winning matches in the ring, but winning eternal battles daily.

So next time the fight is mentioned maybe it will be a good reminder to reflect on such things, and even share your testimony.