Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank

For 15 years, Freddie Roach has been in the corner of Manny Pacquiao. He was there when he went on a savage rampage through divisions from 2007 thru 2010. He was also there when Pacquiao was left lying unconscious against Juan Manuel Marquez. And he was there when he watched his fighter put together a rather uninspiring performance against Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May.

All in all, it’s been a thrilling ride for 56-year-old trainer and it’s supposed to come to an end when Pacquiao steps into the ring for the rubber match against Timothy Bradley tomorrow night. If Pacquiao is able to stay away and his counterpart, Mayweather, does the same, it will truly be the end of an entertaining era in boxing.

But that’s a big if.

“I think he fights again,” Roach said at Thursday’s trainer roundtable about Mayweather possibly returning to the ring after his retirement last September. Roach cites Mayweather’s spending habits and then explained that his fighter is also one who comes out of his pocket often, albeit for two very different reasons. While Mayweather’s spending has often been viewed as self-indulgent, Pacquiao’s spending is seen as something for the people. And for that reason, Roach believes that there’s a chance that both will be back in the ring sooner than later.

“They both are big spenders and it’s hard to turn down that kind of money,” Roach said. Obviously, his interests are a bit more selfish as he would very much like to see Pacquiao redeem himself after his insipid performance against Mayweather.

“I certainly hope (Mayweather comes back),” Roach said. “I’d love Manny to fight him one more time when he’s 100-percent healthy.”

But if Mayweather does remain retired, Roach still is unsure whether Pacquiao will be able to stay away. It all depends on how the upcoming election in the Philippines goes and how he’s able to deal with the new responsibilities of being a senator should he win.

“I don’t really think (he’s going to retire) but can he be a senator and a fighter?” Roach said. “That may be too much on his plate. That’s much more demanding than being a congressman so maybe there’s not enough time to do both. But one thing I like about this is that he can retire happily and he has something to fall back on. Most fighters aren’t able to say that and that’s why they make comebacks.”

But even though Pacquiao could hang up the gloves with a win against Bradley and focus on serving his countrymen as a politician, Roach agrees that he may be better suited continuing his boxing career for as long as he can.

“He can help his people more by making more money and he spends all of his money on his people,” Roach said, echoing Pacquiao’s statements at Wednesday’s final press conference. “Manny gives more money out of his pocket than anybody.”

And the reality is that there are some enticing matchups that could keep Pacquiao’s pockets fattened up enough to continue doing for the impoverished people of the Philippines.

Terence Crawford is the name that comes up most often. Perhaps the most dynamic young fighter around today, it would be an especially intriguing fight for Pacquiao. Bob Arum recently revealed that his biggest concern about making that fight for April was that Bud wasn’t a draw. He has since admitted his error in judgment and Roach agrees that there is a ton of intrigue in a Pacquiao-Crawford fight.

“I think that’s the biggest fight out there (with Crawford),” Roach said. “I like the fight at 140 because that’s his best fighting weight.”

Another name that has come up in recent conversations is Canelo Alvarez. Granted, Canelo is a much bigger opponent, but Roach believes that Oscar De La Hoya is fearful of putting his golden goose in the ring with Pacquiao.

“Oscar is just scared of Manny Pacquiao,” Roach said. “He kicked his ass. He’ll never forget that one. It was the worst memory of his life.”

But first, Pacquiao will need to look good against Timothy Bradley or else all of this discussion about a future in boxing is mute. As Roach has continuously stated, if he sees some slippage in Pacquiao, he’ll advise his prized pupil to retire. Roach is confident that we’ll see a little bit of the old Pacquiao. But the rest of the world will have to wait and see.