It is going to be a make or break fight for Pacquiao when he squares off with Bradley for the third time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Pacquiao’s longtime trainer Freddie Roach knows exactly what to do once he sees Pacquiao performs badly against Bradley. He said he will ask Pacquiao to retire for good.
“If he does not look good in this one, it might be time to retire,” said Roach, who is at the same time predicting a KO win for Pacquiao. “If he does not look good in this fight and we don’t win the fight, I’ll probably ask him to retire, yes,” he added.
But the seven-time BWAA trainer of the year said he does not see anything during Pacquaio’s training that could lead to his lackluster performance on fight night.
Having trained countless boxers in his career as professional trainer, Roach said he can tell when it is time for boxers to retire.
For Roach, the first sign to manifest in a fighter that he isn’t the same is his legs or footwork. In the case of Pacquiao, the 56-year-old trainer sees nothing has changed in his footwork.
“Haven’t seen that in Manny,” Roach said after presiding over what could be Pacquiao’s last workout at his famous Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood.
If Roach didn’t see any sign to conclude that Pacquiao’s legs are gone, then Pacquiao would still be capable of scoring a KO win against Bradley because aside from his undiminished footwork, no one can say at this time that Pacquiao’s hand speed has changed based on the video and eyewitness account of people during sparring sessions and training at the gym.
Aside from his undiminished footwork, Pacquiao now has two good hands to use against Bradley following his successful shoulder surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff.
While a lackluster performance would likely cap his career for the past two decades, a KO or a very convincing win could trigger a series of financially-rewarding fights that could hold for another two years.
