Is Manny Pacquiao’s bout against Timothy Bradley truly his last fight?

By Case Keefer (contact)

Friday, April 8, 2016 | 2 a.m.

For years, sports fans have questioned what would happen to boxing without either Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Manny Pacquiao.

The answer might begin to reveal itself this weekend. Pacquiao says he’s poised to join his longtime rival in retirement after one final fight, a pay-per-view trilogy bout with Timothy Bradley Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“It’s not about I’m tired in boxing,” Pacquiao said earlier in this week. “It’s about advice of my family.”

The 37-year-old Pacquiao’s mother has urged him to quit boxing for the last two years. He feels like the timing is right to finally acquiesce to her wishes given an impending senatorial campaign in the Philippines that will stretch until next month and, if victorious, a need to take office in July.

But Pacquiao’s exclusive citing of external factors has caused prevailing skepticism on whether he will actually stay out of the ring. Boxers are notorious for not sticking to their retirements, a trend even Pacquiao acknowledges.

They often return because of a belief that they can still compete at the highest level. That’s an attitude Pacquiao has never lost in the first place.

Taking 11 months off to heal a shoulder injury after losing to Mayweather last May, in fact, has only increased Pacquiao’s confidence.

“That makes me hungry again, makes me fresh in the ring,” Pacquiao said. “When I started boxing is what I’m feeling right now.”

Pacquiao has spent much time leading up to the bout indulging in nostalgia, which is perhaps an argument that he’s serious about leaving boxing behind. He hasn’t traditionally been one to look back on fight week.

But upon arriving at MGM on Tuesday, Pacquiao brought up falling in love with boxing at 9 years old without any prompting. He recounted going to his uncle’s house for the sole purpose of watching VHS tapes of fighters like Julio Cesar Chavez, George Foreman and Larry Holmes.

Longtime trainer Freddie Roach has noticed a new sentimentality, but seems to have mixed to negative feelings on a potential retirement.

“He’s fought long enough but I think he hasn’t slowed down at all,” Roach said. “His work ethic is still really great. I think he has a couple fights left in him, but we do have an agreement. I’ve told him once I see something that shows he’s not the same fighter anymore, I will tell him and he will retire. But I don’t see that yet.”

Pacquiao has gone only 3-3 over the last four years, though one of the defeats was the highly controversial split-decision loss to Bradley in their first fight. He also doesn’t have a knockout in nearly seven years — Pacquiao beat Bradley by unanimous decision in the rematch — another point of contention for critics who disagree with Roach and say the best days have passed.

Bradley is convinced he’ll deliver another loss to Pacquiao on Saturday, but disputes any suggestion that the eight-division world champion’s legacy could be tarnished.

“He will be remembered as one of the best fighters who ever laced up the gloves,” Bradley said.

That’s why Bradley is looking at this fight as a way to secure his own place in boxing history by becoming the only fighter to defeat Pacquiao twice. Bradley reports new trainer Teddy Atlas has implemented strategies he sorely lacked the first two times he faced Pacquiao.

Pacquiao predicts the new direction in Bradley’s corner will make their third fight more exciting than the first two. Roach supports that plan, especially knowing what this fight may mean.

“I told Manny, ‘If this is our last fight, let’s go out with a bang,’” Roach said.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.