A blessing for Manny

LAS VEGAS — Deeply-religious Manny Pacquiao bowed his head like a humble servant to the Lord as Fr. Marlon Beof of Palawan held both his hands in prayer in the dressing room immediately after alighting the ring from his sensational 10th round knockout win over Erik Morales at the Thomas and Mack Center here Saturday night.

A rosary was around his neck and Pacquiao still wore his white "No Fear" boxing shorts when Fr. Beof, who is assigned in a New York seminary, led the prayer of thanks to God.

Suddenly, the loud cheering came to a halt and a hush enveloped the dugout. Around Pacquiao were his Los Angeles-based assistant Joe Ramos, assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, consultant Jayke Joson and US promoter Gary Shaw.

Pacquiao never forgets to give praise to the Lord before and after every fight. The Morales rematch was no exception.

The first thing that Pacquiao did when he climbed onto the ring was to kneel at his corner and pray for God’s blessing. And the first thing he did after referee Kenny Bayless called a stop to the carnage was to thank the Lord for His blessing.

The morning of the fight at 10, Fr. Beof celebrated Mass in Pacquiao’s luxury suite at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel. Among those who attended the Mass were the First Gentleman Attorney Mike Arroyo and his son Mikey, Rep. Prospero Nograles, Rep. Monico Puentevella, Gov. Luis (Chavit) Singson and Gov. Tommy Joson.

Fr. Beof was back to celebrate Mass in the suite at 12 noon the day after the fight. This time, it was to give honor and glory to the Lord for Pacquiao’s victory.

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If there was any doubt as to Pacquiao’s physical condition in preparing for Morales, there is none now.

Pacquiao punished himself in the gym for over six weeks straight, living a Spartan regimen. He knew it wasn’t only his career at stake in the fight but also Filipino pride. Pacquiao wanted to win badly and convincingly for his country.

Two nights before the fight on the eve of the weigh-in, Pacquiao raised his shirt and showed his "six-pack" abs to The STAR in his luxury suite. His midsection was as hard as granite, built to withstand the stiffest punishment in weeks of training under Australian strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.

When Pacquiao stepped onto the scales at the weigh-in the day before the fight, the numbers didn’t surprise him. His official weight was announced at 128 1/2 pounds but Pacquiao said he saw the scales tilt at 127 1/2.

Despite weighing in several pounds less than the superfeatherweight limit of 130, Pacquiao said his power was intact. It showed in the way he dismantled Morales. As the fight progressed, Pacquiao grew stronger and Morales weaker.

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Top Rank promoter Bob Arum provided Pacquiao and his traveling party a luxury suite with two bedrooms on the 51st floor of the $2.7 Billion Wynn Las Vegas Hotel for a week.

Pacquiao and wife Jinkee stayed in Room 5107. The adjoining room, 5109, was where six of his companions stayed. The rooms were across from each other, divided by a salon. There were other rooms reserved for Pacquiao’s group on the floor at the Tower Suites wing.

Entry to the Tower Suites wing is private and secure. The hotel has another wing for regular rooms. The daily hotel room rate is from $159 to $1,050. The average rate is $300 for weekdays and $500 for weekends. The average size for a room is about 600 square feet.

Pacquiao stayed in what is called the Tower Suites Salon with an entry foyer leading to a living room with a huge picture window overlooking the city, a bar, a corner snack nook, two large sofas, a coffee table, a dining area and a 50-inch plasma TV. It has a floor area of 1050 square feet.

Pacquiao’s bedroom had a king-size bed fit for royalty, his and her sinks, a glass-encased shower area, a huge walk-in closet, a computer equipped with high-speed internet and a plasma TV.

There was a "strictly off limits" sign on the Pacquiaos’ bedroom door to assure their privacy. No guest was allowed inside the suite starting 8 p.m. during the run-up to the fight.

Inside the bedroom, Pacquiao kept his Pony red-and-white fighting shoes on top of a suitcase against the wall in front of the bed beside his green cup protector with "PACMAN" in bold white letters at the waist.

A Team Pacquiao insider said the fighter puts the shoes on top of a suitcase or table or whatever to avoid anyone stepping over them. It’s one of his superstitions. Another one is on the day of his fight, once his boxing shorts are given to him by assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, no one is allowed to touch them except him.

The $2.7 billion hotel sits on a 192-acre property developed by Steve Wynn. The 2,700-room facility opened last April in glittering rites with former President Bush, Donald Trump, Elizabeth Taylor, Kate Capshaw, George Hamilton and Brad Pitt among the guests.

Wynn is now developing a $700 million casino in Macau and is bidding for a site in Singapore. Under construction is another Wynn project — a $1.4 billion 2,000-room hotel called the Encore close to the Wynn Las Vegas on a 20-acre property, opening in 2008.