Manny Pacquiao signed with Paradigm Sports Management back in early 2020, with the expectation that “Pac Man” would (eventually) fight UFC star Conor McGregor. But then “Notorious” got knocked unconscious by Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 and his big-money boxing match fell apart.
In addition, Pacquiao kept his signing bonus and moved on to greener pastures.
McGregor’s team tried to sue the hall-of-fame pugilist and appeared to have the upper hand; however, it was later revealed that Paradigm’s Audi Attar didn’t hold a valid promoter’s license at the time the deal was signed, making their contract “illegal.”
Now it appears they’ll appeal to a higher court.
“I don’t know,” Pacquiao said when asked if his McGregor fight was dead (via Covers.com). “We have a problem with his manager, they don’t listen to me. I told them the situation, that I’ve been in boxing for many, many years. I told him I’m a nice person, I’m fair like that, but they don’t listen. They don’t believe me. I can’t tell you right now, because we still have the cases that they’re appealing to the higher court.”
The idea of Pacquiao vs. McGregor sounds laughable in 2026.
Whether or not “Pac Man” has anything left in the tank at age 46 remains to be seen. The former eight-division world champion, who briefly retired in late 2021, returns to the “sweet science” to battle reigning WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios on July 19 in Las Vegas, streaming on Prime.
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This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
