Manny Pacquiao v Timothy Bradley (Photo : Getty Images)
When former pound-for-pound king Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao finally got the opportunity to face embittered rival Floyd "Money" Mayweather back in May of last year, it was a long time coming. Negotiations ate up the majority of the past six years, and finally, the bout which turned out to be the richest in the sport's history, was made.
Yet by the time Pacquiao had climbed the ring, he was a mere shell of his former self and the fight fans had waited years to see underwhelmed terribly.
To make matters worse, Pacquiao disclosed to the public that he had suffered a rotator cuff injury during the build up to the fight, ultimately limiting his performance and setting him upon a path to rehabilitation in the months to come.
A few weeks after dropping a unanimous decision to Mayweather, Pacquiao had surgery on his right shoulder and he's been in recovery since.
It's been almost a year since he had last seen action, but now that he claims his shoulder is back to normal, Pacquiao is at it again, hard at work preparing for a rubber match with Tim Bradley on April 9.
Various clips of Pacquiao posted on social media show him utilizing his right arm with the usual speed and power that we have been so accustomed to seeing. It makes one think that his right hand, or should we say "Manila Ice", will be more than ready to face Bradley in a few months' time.
But perhaps more than physically being ready to use his right hand should the need arise, is the mental aspect of it all. A telltale sign of an ageing fighter is an inability to capitalize on presented openings, or an inability to 'pull the trigger'.
Pacquiao, who just turned 37 last December, has enjoyed a highly successful but physically and mentally taxing 21-year career. Over the past few years, an evident decline was noticed in his performances, wherein he out of nowhere lacked the pop and the workrate which has made him so famous as a boxer.
Despite the shoulder being cleared physically, there could exist a lingering thought in the back of Pacquiao's head, a sliver of doubt, that Father Time may have finally caught up.
After the heartbreaking loss to Mayweather, one that in his mind he always thought he'd win, one can only speculate the kind of mindset Pacquiao will enter the ring with against Bradley.
And despite the power that's latent within his right fist, power that is still very much capable of knocking out anyone including Bradley, pulling the trigger could turn out to be Pacquiao's biggest obstacle.
His speed and reflexes were not what they once were, his aggression has diminished and his workrate is well below what he had put out in his prime.
The tear in his shoulder may have fully healed, but the thought of it once being there -- that one shadow of doubt -- is all it takes to reaggravate a physical injury that isn't a physical injury at all.
Will Manny Pacquiao be able to 'pull the trigger?'
