Manny Pacquiao: Lack of Fighting Shape Is Bad Sign for Pac-Man

According to trainer Freddie Roach, Manny Pacquiao didn't look very good in his recent sparring session and that is bad news for Pac-Man's upcoming fight with Timothy Bradley.

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"I don't expect him to be ready for the fight yet," said Roach. "Not even close. We still have a long way to go, but I'm happy we have all the time."

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Now, there are a lot of different ways you can take Roach's reaction. He obviously isn't going to come out and say, "Yeah, the fight isn't for another month, but Manny is completely ready. He's going to dominate."

There's a fine line between confidence and cockiness, and Roach is being smart not to cross it.

Nonetheless, this has to be at least a little concerning for Pacquiao fans. 

I'm not about to question Pac-Man's work ethic. In fact, I'm going to do the complete opposite. The guy is 54-3-2. He is 33 years old but continues to roll through some of the world's best fighters. 

Some of them, with ease.

For now, he is the best fighter in the world, pound-for-pound. I'm not questioning that, and I'm not expecting him to come into this fight out of shape.

But if Pac-Man came into this fight a half-a-step slow, wouldn't it make sense, at least a little bit?

Pacquiao is beginning to move on to bigger and better things. Boxing is what brought him to prominence, but politics is what will keep him in the spotlight.

Pacquiao, who is a current member of the Philippine House of Representatives, recently switched parties and has an upcoming election in 2013. It would be completely understandable if his head was somewhere else besides the ring or the weight room. 

What's more, Pac-Man has yet to book the fight everyone wants to see—a bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. Instead, Pacquiao has been forced to fight a bunch of guys who were large underdogs. 

It wouldn't be surprising if he was simply starting to get bored with boxing. A matchup with Timothy Bradley, who was a relative unknown a year or two ago, isn't going to help combat that boredom. 

Essentially, this is a conflicting issue.

Pacquiao is the one boxer you wouldn't expect to come into a fight out of shape, even if he is a little behind schedule a month before.

However, his history and life-path make you think that his boxing career could very well be coming to an end, even at this young age. 

Manny Pacquiao is someone will who will make you pay for questioning him, but this very well looks like his first step towards losing the title.