Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank

Manny Pacquiao seems firm on his decision to retire after he fights Tim Bradley on April 9 but Freddie Roach, his trainer, isn’t so sure.

“A lot depends on whether he becomes a senator or not,” Roach said at the Wild Card Boxing Club on Tuesday, referring to Pacquiao’s planned run at a senate seat in the Philippines later this year. “If he doesn’t win the senate race, what will he do? Does he go back to being a congressman? Being a congressman and a boxer is OK. Being a senator and boxer may be a little too much. ÔǪ

“I do know Manny well, though. He would love to be the senator who defended his title someday. I don’t think this is his last fight for some reason. I just don’t see it because he has a lot left in him. His work ethic is still great. I’d be disappointed if this was his last fight. I’ve been with him a long time, we had a great run. I’ll support whatever he does.”

Roach went on: “So far he says he’s going to retire no matter what. I might be the one that hopes something happens, maybe Floyd (Mayweather Jr.) one more time. He’d be healthy and do much better than the first time. I was very disappointed with the first fight. I know Manny can do much better than that. I would love to see that fight one more time.”

Roach acknowledges that Pacquiao, 37, has slipped to some degree but remains formidable.

“I think he’s still 80 percent of what he was when he was at his best,” he said. “He’s still up there, he still really works hard, he still has a lot of speed. I think religion gets in the way a little bit. He doesn’t want to hurt people sometimes. He tells me all he has to do is outpoint them.

“I said, ‘If you would knock him out a little earlier, he wouldn’t get lucky and knock you out,'” Roach continued, referring to Pacquiao’s loss to Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012. “We disagree on that point. Winning a decision isn’t a goal; winning by knockout is.

“ÔǪ If Manny knocks out Bradley, I’ll be happy. That’s the only way I’ll be happy. And he told me for this camp he wants a knockout. That’s the first time he’s told me that in long, long time.”