Pacquiao learns to pace himself

MANNY PACQUIAO. AP FILE PHOTO

Manny Pacquiao has finally realized the value of moderation.

Unlike before, when he trained with wild abandon and pushed himself to exhaustion, Pacquiao now listens to what his body says.

Entering the crucial phase of preparation for his fourth showdown with Juan Manuel Marquez on Dec. 8, Pacquiao has learned to turn the switch off for the day to give his 33-year-old body time to recuperate for tougher grinds ahead of the welterweight pay-per-view battle at MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

“Before, it was always heavy training for me every day—morning and afternoon,” Pacquiao told GMA-7’s Chino Trinidad on Sunday (Monday in Manila) in Hollywood. “Now, I’ve learned to pace myself.”

Pacquiao no longer asks trainer Freddie Roach for more rounds with the mitts and for other training regimen when he feels his body can’t take any more pounding.

But when he’s in-sync, of course, Pacquiao reverts to his old training ways—without letup—at Roach’s Wild Card Gym.

While he has temporarily abandoned playing basketball these days, Pacquiao can’t ignore the opportunity to shoot balls with NBA Hall of Famers and Olympic gold medalists Charles Barkley, now a noted NBA analyst, and former superstar Reggie Miller on Monday.

The 47-year-old Miller, the TNT network commentator for the NBA, even joined Pacquiao in his early-morning run at Griffith Park in Hollywood, according to a TMZ report.

Asked about their playground shoot-out, Miller said Pacquiao definitely got game. “Not only is he the man in the ring, but he’s got an awesome jump shot too.”