There were moments in his unanimous-decision win over Timothy Bradley on Saturday when the legendary Manny Pacquiao (58-6-2, 38 KOs) looked like he'd turned the clock back at least a decade. Even after 24 rounds in the ring together, he still managed to keep Bradley off balance with his unorthodox movement and darting attacks.

Perhaps the biggest difference between this and the first two bouts in this strange trilogy was most obvious when Bradley hit the mat in the seventh and ninth rounds. Pacquiao, who hasn't scored a knockout since a 2009 stoppage of Miguel Cotto, was out for blood. And though he didn't end up finishing the bout, it wasn't for lack of trying. 

"This was different than the last two fights," Pacquiao told announcer Crystina Poncher in the ring after the fight. "I was looking for a knockout every round, but he's tough. ... It was hard to catch him."

Despite those moments of glory, it was a mixed bag for the future first-ballot Hall of Famer. Between the occasional fury from both men, it was a fight with very little action.

"He would attack me in spots. But he was waiting on me. He was being the ocean tonight," Bradley said after the fight. "I did everything I could to get him to come to me. But he was just super smart tonight. ... He's the best fighter I've ever faced in the ring."

According to CompuBox, Pacquiao landed just 122 punches, an average of barely 10 punches per round. By contrast, in their first fight back in 2012, Pacquiao landed more than twice that many blows in a losing performance.

The truth is, for all of HBO's desperate attempts to convince viewers otherwise, this was not the old Manny Pacquiao. It was, rather, an old Manny Pacquiao.

At 37, he's simply no longer able to muster a sustained effort. He's still a better fighter than Bradley, sure. But that's never been in doubt, despite the bizarre result in their first fight.

Pacquiao landed with power on occasion and got hit in return nearly as many times. With a fighter with more dynamite in his hands than the light-punching Bradley, Pacquiao may have paid the price. Instead, he'll walk away with his head held high, with the forgettable bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. no longer the final note in a career that has been a beautiful symphony. 

After the bout, Pacquiao reiterated his commitment to retire from the sport. The two-term congressman in his native Philippines is running for a senate seat. The election is next month. For the moment, at least, that's his sole focus.

"Physically I am still OK," Pacquiao told Poncher. "I can still fight. But I made the decision to go back to the Philippines and help the people." 

While many will be skeptical about whether he can stay away from the ring—and given boxing history, there is reason to believe he will eventually return—for now Top Rank is taking Pacquiao at his word.

"I'm not thinking possible future fights for him," Pacquiao's promoter, Bob Arum, said at the post-fight press conference. "Until I hear otherwise, Manny Pacquiao is retired from boxing."

Most boxers don't walk away from the ring. They are helped out after brutal knockouts or forced out after a string of losses. Pacquiao, should he never return, gets to leave with his pride intact, his head high and his fans cheering raucously.

For an aging fighter, final bouts don't get much better than this. 

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report