Despite attempts to block the fight, Manny Pacquiao will be taking on Errol Spence Jr later this month.
Earlier this week, a judge denied a preliminary injunction made by Audie Attar and Paradigm Sports Management to prevent Pacquiao vs. Spence from happening.
ESPN’s Mike Coppinger has the details:
Judge Walter Schwarm made a tentative ruling on Thursday, obtained by ESPN through a court records search. Schwarm made the tentative ruling on the basis that the “evidence demonstrates a low probability of prevailing” in regard to two of the accusations: breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
Paradigm claimed that Pacquiao’s team brokered the fight with PBC and Spence without Attar’s inclusion, despite holding exclusive rights to negotiate the 42-year-old’s next two fights. Paradigm is also suing to recoup a $3.3 million advance it said Pacquiao received with the understanding those next two fights would be secured by Attar. No tentative ruling has been made in regard to the money.
Paradigm, of course, also manages former UFC champion Conor McGregor. You may recall that after McGregor’s loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, Conor lamented that a Manny Pacquiao boxing match was seemingly on the cusp of becoming reality. The details of the lawsuit suggested that, yes, there were talks about making this boxing match in the Middle East.
Per Coppinger:
Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division champion, signed with Attar’s Paradigm Sports Management last year in the hopes of securing a long-discussed boxing match with UFC superstar Conor McGregor, who is managed by Paradigm. (Attar also represents UFC champion Israel Adesanya.)
The fight between Pacquiao and McGregor was being planned for this summer in Dubai, UAE, before McGregor was knocked out by Dustin Poirier in January. Instead, Pacquiao signed to fight Spence in a PBC on Fox PPV at T-Mobile Arena.
While the injunction efforts have been thwarted, the actual breach of contract lawsuit is still ongoing so it’s not like this story is done and dusted.
Pacquiao vs. Spence takes place on August 21st and will be distributed via PBC on FOX PPV. At stake will be Spence’s WBC and IBF welterweight titles.