MANILA, Philippines?Slowly but surely, the issue on size is becoming a non-issue.

Manny Pacquiao?s camp is continuing to craft ways to overhaul Oscar De La Hoya?s literally huge advantage to make sure that both fighters come in pretty even when they clash in the ?Dream Match? at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Dec. 6.

Pacquiao has constantly been sparring with bigger fighters, including British phenom Amir Khan, at trainer Freddie Roach?s Wild Card gym in a bid to get accustomed to brawling against a bigger opponent.

?I can handle the power of my sparring partners who are bigger than I am because I am getting bigger also,? Pacquiao told reporters during a teleconference recently. ?I think I can handle Oscar?s power.?

But even then, Pacquiao isn?t easing up in training as he constantly plunges into a rigorous plyometrics routine aimed at building up his speed and power. Roach described the plyometrics stage of the training as ?pretty intense.?

?I need to improve my speed and power because I?m going up in weight,? Pacquiao explained. ?The added weight won?t make me slower. I?m bulking up my muscles because of the exercises.?

But more than the training regimen, it is sparring that keeps Pacquiao right on target for an upset victory.

?You should see the sparring,? Roach told fightnews.com.

Even Khan admits Pacquiao has learned a lot sparring against him and other bigger guys.

?It?ll make Manny think about what?s coming,? Khan told the LA Times.

Roach told fightnews.com that Pacquiao has been stepping up in training lately, and the Filipino ring icon said his camp is trying out a couple of secret techniques to use against the Golden Boy.

Although Pacquiao refused to divulge the techniques in training, fightnews.com reported that the Pacman has been working out body shots with an aim to ?break [De La Hoya?s] ribs.?

Pacquiao has said the fight against De La Hoya will kick off his retirement parade, and that he?ll fight once or twice after the Dec. 6 blockbuster. And the Gen. Santos City-bred southpaw is preparing for this one with a passion.

?The money doesn?t hurt, but that?s not what this is about for Manny.? Roach told fightnews.com. ?He and Oscar are both good people and they?re gentlemen, but I?ll tell you, they don?t like each other. For Manny, this is personal.?

As personal as this one is, however, Pacquiao won?t go as far as saying he?ll go for a knockout.

?The knockout will come if you train hard,? Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao did not divulge who he would prefer as his last two foes, but he said he isn?t closing his doors on the possibility of tangling with pound-for-pound rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. or giving in to the clamor for a third bout against Juan Manuel Marquez, whom he drew with once and also defeated once?both controversially.

?If the price is right,? Pacquiao said. ?But my focus is on De La Hoya right now.?