by Ronnie Nathanielsz

Trainer Freddie Roach gave his prized possession Manny Pacquiao, the eight division world champion, the day off from sparring yesterday over concern that Pacquiao may be overtraining with still just over three weeks before his May 2 showdown with undefeated WBC/WBA welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Top Rank publicist Fred Sternberg told the New Standard/BoxingScene that Pacquiao ran at the Pan Pacific park in the morning and described it as “a good run and fast-paced.”

He allayed fears that Pacquiao was tired or under the weather because it was raining in Los Angeles and said Roach was genuinely concerned that Pacquiao was likely to overtrain and “wants to hold him back.”

Sternberg said “Freddie doesn’t want him to leave the fight in the gym.”

Tuesday was supposed to be the day when Roach was scheduled to get Pacquiao to  spar twelve rounds with two new sparring partners he had brought in.

There was no word on the identify of the two new sparring partners.

ABS-CBN’s Dyan Castillejo reported that the sparring is designed to see how well Pacquiao executes their game plan as well as to test his conditioning and punching power.

Assistant trainer and childhood friend Buboy Fernandez said this is the time the heavy training begins and its when they check out the movements and footwork.

The past week Pacquiao trained relentlessly and sparred  a total of 29 rounds on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with UFC fighter Dashon Johnson and undefeated 21 year old Kenneth “Bossman” Sims with whom Pacquiao has engaged in some furious exchanges.