HOLLYWOOD — A certified global star, Manny Pacquiao draws huge crowds wherever he goes and a church service is no exception.
Pacquiao’s mere presence at Shepherd of the Hills Church was a scene by itself in an otherwise serene vicinity.
“It’s getting worse,” a woman giving media IDs told her fellow attendant of the situation when Pacquiao, a born-again Christian convert, attends the church service with pastor Dudley Rutherford.
Pacquiao came with his wife Jinkee, mother Dionesia and four children along with some of his entourage members. The WBO welterweight champion was mobbed as he arrived and left looking like a Hollywood celebrity than a star boxer on board his shining black Mercedes Benz.
“He comes to church here when he’s training in [Los Angeles] in Shepherd Church. A lot of people are here because he tells people to go to church,” Rutherford told INQUIRER.net. “But he’s a man of faith. And I hope that more than just fighting, people would realize that he’s a man who loves God.”
Rutherford said he hopes to watch Pacquiao’s May 2 megafight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas live but added that Pacquiao hasn’t promised him a ticket for the showdown.
“I’m a fan of anybody who wants to grow in the Lord and he wants to grow in the Lord so I’m a big fan,” Rutherford said. “I hope to be there. He hasn’t promised me anything but he takes care of me.”
Pacquiao and his whole team then headed to Kabuki, a Japanese restaurant along Vine near the iconic Hollywood and Sunset boulevards, for a sumptuous lunch.
Pacquiao goes back to his routine training session on Monday.
For more updates on Pacquiao-Mayweather “Fight of the Century,” visit The Pacquiao Files.