Manny Pacquiao concludes what might be his final workout at Wild Card Boxing Club

The thought crossed Manny Pacquiao’s mind as he taped his own hands in the small closet that serves as a dressing room at Wild Card Boxing Club -- maybe this was his last day of work at the Hollywood gym he’s called a second home.

“I’m thinking about it,” said Pacquiao, who used his 15 years of training under seven-time trainer of the year Freddie Roach to become the first and only eight-division world champion in boxing, with famed victories over Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto and Marco Antonio Barrera. “… I love it here.”

Pacquiao, now 37, sparred four rounds Monday as Roach leaned on the ropes in his corner, watching the session with Pacquiao’s friend and assistant trainer Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez.

On Saturday, Pacquiao will fight Coachella Valley’s Timothy Bradley for a third time, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on HBO pay-per-view.

The bout ends Pacquiao’s longest career layoff, after he pocketed $150 million in his May 2 unanimous-decision loss to unbeaten and since-retired Floyd Mayweather Jr., and he’s said he’s expecting it to be his final bout.

“It’s good for me to rest almost one year. I feel happiness, my hunger is like new,” he said.

The absence was necessitated by surgery, as Pacquiao underwent an operation on his right shoulder to repair a tear suffered in training before the Mayweather fight. He was denied a pain-relieving injection just before the bout, and aggravated the injury in the fourth round, allowing Mayweather to proceed to a convincing triumph in the long-awaited showdown between the world’s top two pound-for-pound boxers.

The performance disappointed Pacquiao’s countrymen in the Philippines, and he said he’s drawn motivation to shine in what he said could be his final fight before his bid to win election in the Philippines Senate with a May election date nearing.

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Pacquiao will earn a spot in the Senate with a top-12 showing in the election, and a recent poll showed him in sixth place, within striking distance of fifth. He has said the Senate work is far more demanding than his workload as a congressman.

“I’m really eager to show a good fight with this one, to make the fans satisfied with this performance,” Pacquiao said.

He said he had no regrets about not postponing the Mayweather fight after the training camp injury.

“No, I [was] OK before the fight. It just happened in the fight in the fourth round,” he said.

After the four rounds of work Monday, Pacquiao hugged his sparring partner, hit the heavy bag and speed bag, did a little shadow boxing and readied for the drive to Las Vegas – a tradition he’s maintained for years.

“I drive because I can relax … no bags [in the airport],” Pacquiao said.

The drive, amid a 30-vehicle caravan of Pacquiao friends -- some on motorcycles -- includes a stop in Barstow for a restroom break at a gas station/mini-mart that allows time for ice cream and hamburgers to be purchased.

He said he’s envisioned a perfect career ending, knocking out Bradley with a trademark left hand in what would be his first knockout since 2009.

“I’m thinking about that – yes, of course I’d like that,” he said.

What would bring him back to the ring? He didn’t mention the tangible possibilities, such as Mayweather calling him out for another lucrative bout should Pacquiao defeat Bradley impressively.

Instead, in the pure environs of Wild Card, where his natural skills advanced to make him a worldwide sensation, he kept his response simple.

“I love boxing,” Pacquiao said. “I grew up in boxing.”

In the end, the religious Pacquiao huddled with Fernandez, conditioning coach Justin Fortune and Roach, a well-known agnostic, for a prayer before departing.

Roach, who owns Wild Card, said “up until today” he didn’t believe Pacquiao was fully commited to the idea of retirement after this fight. Following the prayer, Roach said “there seemed to be some finality to it.”

Follow Lance Pugmire on Twitter @latimespugmire