Dead aim: During rest, Pacquiao finds comfort in darts

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao's punches usually find their mark. The global boxing icon is learning recently his aim at darts is finding its own as well. Much to his satisfaction. Pacquiao wrote in his online column on Sunday that he's been spending time on his dartboard as a form of respite from his grueling training in Hollywood. He has grown such a fascination for the game that he plans to launch a darts tournament after his Oscar de la Hoya match on December 6. The prize money he intends to put up? "The fund will be around P2 million," Pacquiao said. "There's just a lot of people who are interested in the sport, it's hard to ignore the demand." Pacquiao recently called his preparations for de la Hoya, "his most difficult in his career." His trainer Freddie Roach has been making sure "all bases are covered", sending bigger sparmates to test Pacquiao and keeping the distraction level at the gym to a bare minimum. Away from the hard training, Pacquiao admitted that he has been on his guitar or at the karaoke machine. Pacquiao, an avid basketball fan, also said he has found time to play chess. But no sport - except for boxing, of course - has come closer to Pacquiao's heart lately than darts. "It hasn't been long since I started playing but I like how I've improved at it," he said. Pacquiao said that the mental game required to succeed in darts mirrors a more familiar, more violent sport. "It's like boxing. You have to put your mind into it and when you do, you know you can hit whatever target you have in mind. "Now, for example, I know de la Hoya is the target. If I train hard and work hard, I know I'll be able to find the mark. Not just once." - GMANews.TV