By Chris Williams: Bob Arum is convinced that his fighter WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao is looking more fresh-faced and energetic compared to in the past when he saw him in training camps. Arum sees this as a spillover effect from Pacquiao having found religion and taking things easy as he prepared for his June 9th fight against unbeaten Tim Bradley at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Arum said this during the recent conference call “The difference in Manny’s face is so apparent. He’s not as tired as he was and he’s not as word as he was. There is a glow in his face. I think this religious awakening has been all good on his part…I think when young athletes find religion it will greatly enhance their careers.”

I wish I could agree with what Arum is saying, but I can’t. I’ve seen Pacquiao’s training videos, and he looks identical to the way he’s been looking recently. He appears to have aged in the last couple of years, so he’s got a physically older look to him that no amount of rest, religion or sleep can change.

The fact it when you get old, you get old and you can be reading the bible backwards and forwards, but you are still going to be old. The same thing applies with Pacquiao. He’s 33, and he looks 33. But more than that, Pacquiao has taken a lot of punishing shots in the past three years in fights against welterweights and it obviously has caused some wear and tear on him.

I don’t see Pacquiao being any different now than when he wasn’t studying the bible. He’s simply getting older now, and I think Arum sees what he wants to see, if Arum is on the level, that is. If he’s blowing smoke up Pacquiao’s backside by saying how rested he is in order to motivate him to fight harder, then I can understand the comments about him looking youthful.

But if Arum actually believes Pacquiao is looking younger, then I see that as someone seeing what that they want to see. Our minds play tricks on us all the time, and I think Arum could be seeing what he hopes is there. He obviously doesn’t want Pacquiao to get old anytime soon because he’s had such a great run in the past few years, beating the guys that Arum has carefully matched him against.