Boxer Manny Pacquiao has been ordered by a California court to pay $8m in a lawsuit filed by Paradigm Sports, owned by his former management. The Filipno, who is also a senator in his home country, breached his contract with the firm when he agreed to a fight against Errol Spence Jr after he signed a deal to fight with Paradigm. Pacquiao has been advised to appeal the ruling, according to reports from his team. His management has also said that the case gave the wrong impression of Pacquiao who has not yet received the money from Spence’s camp.
The incident took place in 2020 when Pacquiao signed with Paradigm Sport which also manages professional fighters, including Conor McGregor. The boxing match between Pac-Man and McGregor was eagerly awaited but did not materialize. Pacquiao instead signed a contract with Premier Boxing Champions to fight Spence Jr, and Paradigm sued Pacquiao for breach of contract, stating that they paid the boxer $3.3m to secure a fight with the Irishman.
In response to the verdict, McGregor’s social media post accused Pacquiao of taking too many fights and blamed the boxing legend for the failed bout. McGregor is said to be owed $5.1m in the case.