WHERE IS GOD IN BOXING AND OTHER SPORTS?
By Reni M. Valenzuela
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 04 Apr 2015
Tebowing in football signifies faith.
But what has faith got to do with ring fights? Boxing as a sport may not have the approval of God due its violent nature. But God can be into boxing if only to turn things out for good and make His presence known and real to people.
Lampooned by his detractors, Evander Holyfield stayed true to his faith. He was healed miraculously from a heart ailment and after being granted a license to fight again, he knocked out Ray Mercer and then defeated Bobby Czyz which earned him the right to challenge Mike Tyson in 1996. A 6-1 underdog in the fight, the ?absurd? Holyfield shocked the world and beat Tyson. The rest is history.
This is the real deal.
Youtube.com has a video that labeled Holyfield?s interview in that Tyson fight as being ?The Worst Interview Ever.? It has over a million views and was filled with slur/comments that curse Holyfield and his new found faith. The ?phony? was at his ?peak of absurdity,? so pundits mock. But I protest.
Watch this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgNq5RCCvn8
The words coming out of Holyfield must be those of a sinner whose life has been touched by God. Evander was more than just invoking the name of God. He was expressing a heartfelt worship and overflowing joy as he ascribes glory to His Lord and Savior. ?Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.? Holyfield couldn?t be a hypocrite, shortly after winning a great battle at that
How can one be less a charlatan by being judgmental and spewing venom against the boxer who has found God to be the Real Deal? Holyfield isn?t perfect, but so every saint. The worst hypocrite in the world is the hypocrite who calls hypocrite a fellow hypocrite. Whoever, therefore, posted and gave the title to the video must be miserable, if not a hopeless atheist. Thanks for posting anyway, it?s ?The Best Interview Ever.?
?If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man?will be ashamed of them?when He comes?in His Father?s glory with the holy angels.? - Mark 8:38
NFL hasn?t probably produced a star brighter than Tim Tebow. He?s got talent, strength, faith and God rolled into one shining, daring athlete who stirred skeptics and attracted admirers on a worldwide scale like no other athletes. The greatness of Tebow reaches beyond the great plays he can execute in a football game.
Former quarter back for the Broncos, Jake Plummer, wished Tim Tebow ?would curb his references to Jesus Christ and his faith.? Tim responded:
?That?s how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell Him that I love Him or given an opportunity to shout Him out on national TV, I?m gonna take that opportunity. And so I look at it as a relationship that I have with Him, that I want to give Him the honor and glory ? And that?s how it works because Christ comes first in my life, and then my family, and then my teammates. I respect Jake?s opinion, and really appreciate his compliment of calling me a winner.?
Indeed he is.
There are countless other athletes in different sports competition that stood or stand for God and who are not ashamed of their faith. There?s R.A. Dickey, Mariano Rivera and Clayton Kershaw in baseball; Eric Liddell and Allyson Felix in Track and Field; Jeremy Lin and Derek Fisher in NBA; Manny Pacquiao, George Foreman, Robert Guerrero and Holyfield in boxing, Bubba Watson in golf, Gabby Douglas in gymnastics and so forth and so on.
To all athletes, you are role models for the youth and the generations to come. So be good and try to be your best. And here?s Tebow in closing: ?I wake up every morning trying to get better, trying to improve and trying to walk closer to God.?
Be the salt and light.
renimvalenzuela@yahoo.com
P.S. With the PPV and ticket prices set for ?Mayweather-Pacquiao,? and with the way things are going, the richest fight in boxing history may just end up to be the richest in greed and covetousness. A soulful Lent to one and all.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Reni M. Valenzuela.
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