Boxing
Manny Pacquiao insists Errol Spence Jr. fight is going ahead despite Paradigm Sports lawsuit over Mikey Garcia
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Despite reports over the weekend that Paradigm Sports are suing Manny Pacquiao and his team for damages that include a $3.3 million advance, with regards to a fight Paradigm had negotiated between the legend and Mikey Garcia, Pacquiao has claimed that his announced meeting against welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. will go ahead as planned.
Lance Pugmire of The Athletic wrote over the weekend with regards to Paradigm's lawsuit, reporting that the company believe Pacquiao gave them the impression he was on the verge of signing to face Garcia in his first bout since 2019.
Pacquiao and Garcia certainly do seem to have been in talks for a fight, though Garcia claimed in May that months-long discussions were hitting a proverbial wall and that he was considering moving on from those plans if progress did not pick up soon.
The announcement that Pacquiao's in-ring return would come against WBC and IBF titleholder at 147lbs Spence elicited excitement from the boxing community, with it presenting a genuine 'dream match' in a division that was threatening to stagnate with no apparent likelihood of a megafight between Spence and WBO champ Terence Crawford any time soon.
Of course, the legal talk has led to concerns that the August date, with the venue recently confirmed as the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, could be forced off the schedule in a similar manner to the previously-discussed heavyweight unification between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
Pacquiao, nonetheless, is adamant the Spence fight will happen.
"Paradigm Sports' lawsuit against me has no merit. I have an absolute right under the agreement with Paradigm to engage in the upcoming bout with Errol Spence. If this frivolous lawsuit continues, I will be proven correct in court," said the former eight-weight world champion in a statement, printed by The Manila Times.
Pacquiao is likely to retire from boxing for good after the Spence bout, if it happens. His trainer and longtime confidant Freddie Roach said last year that he hoped for "one or two" bouts for the Filipino star in 2021 before he focuses fully on his political career in his home country from 2022.
