Manny Pacquiao Is Near End of Boxing Road, According to Freddie Roach

Forget ifs, ands or buts. In regards to Manny Pacquiao, his next fight will be his last. 

At least, that is what his long-time trainer Freddie Roach seems to think. Roach stopped by 590 The Fan in Toronto with Bob McCown and Stephen Brunt recently.

That is when he delved into the subject of a possible bout with Floyd Mayweather, the fight with Juan Manuel Marquez and how this all affects the possibility of retirement for Pac-Man. 

There is no secret that promoter Bob Arum doesn't want a fight between Pacquiao and Mayweather to happen next. Roach gave hope to every boxing fan in the world with just a few words. 

"

I talked to Manny’s advisors last week and they told me they are negotiating so it’s definitely a possibility and I hope that fight happens.

"

As for the Marquez fight, Roach doesn't sugar coat it. Pacquiao was dangerously close to losing that closely fought bout. A good reason for that, at least from Roach's perspective, is that Pacquiao was off that night. 

"

...before the decision was announced I didn’t know which way it was gonna go though because it was a close fight...After watching the fight on TV I did have Manny winning by a little bit. First time in ten years Manny had a bad night and just came at the wrong time. It may be good because maybe Mayweather is licking his chops at this point.

"

Again with Mayweather. That is all we want as fans and all Pacquiao would need to conclude what is a storied career. 

With so much on his plate in politics and music, you have to figure that Pacquiao is sticking around for just one more shot at ultimate glory. The only opponent that would garner that kind of send off would be Mayweather. Here is what Roach had to say. 

"

The thing is if Pacquiao does lose that fight – well win or lose I think he will retire. I think that’s gonna be his last fight. He’s really into politics and so forth and politics is going to take him away from boxing that’s for sure...It’s gonna take 100 percent of his time to be good at that. I feel if we do fight Mayweather, win or lose I think it will be his last fight.

"

From the mouth of one of his closest friends, Pacquiao is living with a passion for two things right now. It seems that he is being stretched between politics and boxing, and the pull cannot continue for very much longer. 

The hope is that a stubborn promoter in Bob Arum doesn't get in the way of a possible fairy tale ending here. Pacquiao could come back to fight the match of the century. 

That is the only just way this boxer is supposed to walk away from the sport. 

All quotes are taken from the audio and made available by Sports Radio Interviews. 

Follow @gabezal