LOS ANGELES, California?The applause seemed more respectful than awe-inspired. At the end of eight more rounds of sparring, the refreshingly sparse holiday crowd at the Wild Card Gym broke out in a light applause as a couple of trainers herded Manny Pacquiao back to a corner.

It wasn?t the best of performances, but it wasn?t something Freddie Roach was worried about, either.

?We?re good,? pro boxing?s two-time Trainer of the Year told reporters as Pacquiao ended his Thanksgiving Day workout and hurriedly left the gym on Vine Street in Hollywood. ?Overall, I?m happy with his performance.?

Newcomers, though, would have gotten quite a jolt as Pacquiao repeatedly got tagged by sparring mate Rashad Holloway in the first of a pair of four-rounders penciled into Thursday?s regimen. One of those hits seemed to force the pound-for-pound champ into a slight back-pedal.

Roach, however, dismissed the slight performance dip as something that was merely a result of Pacquiao?s playfulness coupled with the boxer?s stomach problems.

?He?s always playful a little bit ? with his sparring partners,? Roach said, adding the reigning WBC lightweight champion ?had a little trouble with his acid reflux and he told me he didn?t want to go hard.?

Uninspired show

The 27-year-old Holloway, who has been prepping Pacquiao ever since the latter broke camp to shape up for the ?Dream Match? against Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, also shrugged off Pacquiao?s uninspired show.

?Everybody has a bad day at camp and this was probably one of Manny?s,? said Holloway.

But Roach still managed to find gems out of that ?bad day.?

?I thought I saw explosions,? Roach said. ?When he wanted it, it was there for him.?

Pacquiao did manage to hold his ground against a pair of light middleweights in the eight rounds of sparring that hiked his camp total 153 Thursday (Friday in Manila). In the second of the four rounders, Pacquiao exploded into barrages of combinations, rocking Marvin Cordova.

?I felt his power?

?He didn?t hurt me, but I felt his power,? Cordova said.

Pacquiao eventually rode off to his Palazzo residence for a Thanksgiving Mass and dinner with family and close supporters.

None of his sparring partners drew any meaning from Pacquiao?s performance Thursday, still giving him their vote of confidence against De La Hoya, who continues to train in seclusion at the Big Bear facility in California.

?Manny?s like an animal in the ring,? said Cordova, adding that De La Hoya?s main tools? the jab and left hook?isn?t enough to stave off the relentless pressure the 5-foot-6 dynamo is expected to unleash on fight night.

?If Oscar comes in with just one jab, Manny?s going to counter him with the right hook-left hand,? Cordova said. ?If Oscar brings in the double, he?ll have to watch out for Manny?s left hand. But all Oscar?s got is his left. He ain?t got no right hand.?

Holloway believes Pacquiao can bully the bigger De La Hoya into defeat on Dec. 6.

?I think Manny?s going to definitely hurt Oscar and if he sticks to the game plan, he goes to the body and he stays on for three minutes every round, you may be able to see a stoppage,? Holloway said.

?But in all honesty, I think he?s going to beat the mess out of Oscar for 12 rounds.?

Holloway?s great showing against Pacquiao was also brought about by his decision to bring something new into the ring, a variety of moves that Roach encouraged him to try.

?Rashad wanted to try something new and I told him to go ahead,? Roach said. ?Oscar?s a smart guy and I figured that he might try out some new things against Manny during the fight.?

Manny had his way in the latter part of the practice bout against Holloway as he reapplied the game plan of aggressively seeking out the 152-pound right-hander?s body.

?We worked the body pretty well today and I?m pretty happy about that,? said Roach.