Explosive Manny is closing in on his best

MANNY Pacquiao says he experienced dreams and visions and heard the voice of God.

It was a voice so powerful that he was shaking all over.

He was trembling and it felt as though his body was melting. In a sense, he says, he died and was born again.

Pacquiao, who defends his world welterweight title against Jeff Horn at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday, underwent a religious conversion in 2011 when he fell to his knees in a Las Vegas hotel room and begged God for forgiveness of his sins. He says the blinding light of the Lord saved his marriage and in a sense, probably many of his opponents from being brutally knocked out.

Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach says the boxer’s Christian conversion is the main reason he has not scored a knockout win since he brutalised Puerto Rican great Miguel Cotto in 2009.

He simply did not have the same killer-instinct, Roach says, that had seen him annihilate the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Erik Morales.

“But I’m starting to see signs of the old Manny in this training camp,’’ Roach said.

“It’s the first time we’ve had two knockdowns in sparring for something like six years so he is a lot more explosive than usual. At one time Manny was a real puncher and a real gunner, but he decided that he didn’t want to hurt people anymore and he was happy to box along and win on points.

“But he realises now that he needs to do a lot more than that to get the big fights. We’re chasing a rematch with Floyd Mayweather and we know he has to score a spectacular knockout win over Jeff Horn if that’s going to happen.”

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