MONEY WINS?

And just like that, the “Fight of the Century” is over, with Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. beating Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao by a 12-round unanimous decision.

I will be the first to say that as a Filipino, I’m disappointed with the result of the fight. Of course I wanted Manny to win. But as a Christian, I wanted Manny to win for another, more important reason.

You see, Manny’s fight with Mayweather Jr. came to represent something more: it was not just about two of the greatest athletes of the sport pitting their skills and wits against each other. No, it was a battle of ideologies. It was a battle of worldviews. To me, this boxing match became a physical embodiment of what the Christian battle was all about: good triumphing over evil.

Before I get lambasted for equating Mayweather Jr. with the Devil and Manny with a Saint, let me say that I’m not. Both are just human beings who are blessed with the physical prowess to excel in a very popular sport. They both have their shortcomings and failings as human beings.

What I’m talking about here is what the two fighters have come to represent.

Mayweather Jr. is not shy about what ideology he represents. He believes in personal achievement, self-exaltation, and materialism.

Manny is a born-again Christian, trying to be a hero for his people. He prays before every match, and acknowledges that it is by God’s grace that he wins his fights.

For me, things could not have been more clear-cut as what these two people represent: it was worldliness vs. spirituality, Mammon vs. Yahweh, the way of man vs. the way of God.

I wanted Manny to win because he represents what I believe in as a Christian. And the reason why his loss affects me so, is not because I lost money I that I bet on him. No, I’m devastated because I bet something even more precious: I bet my entire life’s outlook on his winning this fight.

Money wins. That’s the message that kept going through my head. And with that, came the doubt, the distress, the uncertainty.

Did I bet on the wrong side?

Was being a Christian really worth it? What if I’m wrong? What if God isn’t real? What if life is really just about the struggle and survival of the fittest, the most cunning, and the most powerful over the weak? What if Christianity is just a delusion, or as Karl Marx said, an “opiate” meant to keep the weak masses from being overwhelmed by their fate to be ruled by the powerful and elite few?

The Apostle Paul had captured this struggle in his first epistle to the Corinthian Church, which is considered to be one of the most materialistic and worldly of the all of the early churches of Christ. He says to them:

“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” (1 Corinthians 15:19 NIV)

Paul knew the struggle with spiritual doubt. He knew the irresistible siren call of worldliness, calling all men to its ways and deathly embrace.

But he also knew what was needed in order to resist that call:

“But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:57-58 NIV)

And so I’m reminded once again of Who I really bet for in the fight for good over evil. And He didn’t do it by knocking a person out cold in a ring. He did it by taking the most devastating knockout blow ever delivered, and rose up victorious.

The Fight of the Century may have ended in a disappointing note for me. But the Fight for Eternity has already been fought and won. Good has triumphed over Evil.

And I don’t need Manny Pacquiao to win over Mayweather Jr. to let me know that.

Soli Deo Gloria!