Lawsuit filed to stop Pacquiao-Spence title fight – report

The blockbuster fight between Manny Pacquiao and Errol Spence may have hit a snag following the filing of a breach-of-contract lawsuit by Paradigm Sports head Audie Attar in Orange County, California on Friday, June 25.

According to Lance Pugmire’s report on The Athletic, Attar is requesting an injunction to stop Pacquiao’s bid to take Spence’s International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council welterweight crowns on August 22 (Manila time) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Claiming that Paradigm Sports was already negotiating for Pacquiao to meet Mikey Garcia, Attar is also seeking to recoup $3.3 million in advances.

Another group of Pacquiao’s associates, headed by MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions president Sean Gibbons, had beat Paradigm Sports to the punch after forging a deal with Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions for Pacquiao to tangle with the unbeaten Spence in a pay-per-view bout.

In the same report, Paradigm lawyer Judd Bursten alleged Pacquiao’s choice of Spence as opponent damaged its reputation “as a major player in professional boxing.”

Reacting to the lawsuit. Pacquiao’s lawyer, Dale Kinsella, issued this statement:

“The complaint filed by Paradigm Sports in California state court on Friday is a frivolous effort to interfere with Manny Pacquiao’s upcoming mega-fight, and it can and will fail for numerous reasons. Moreover, had Manny Pacquiao known that Paradigm Sports appears to have had no intention of fulfilling its contractual obligations, he never would have entered into any relationship with them. Should this matter actually proceed beyond Friday’s filing in a court of law, Mr Pacquiao will vigorously defend this action, assert his own claims against Paradigm Sports, and seek to recover his attorney’s fees as well.”

Pacquiao was supposed to clash with UFC superstar Conor McGregor, who is also with Paradigm Sports, this year, but the plan got scuttled following McGregor’s knockout loss to Dustin Poirier in their rematch in January. McGregor-Poirier 3 is set on July 10.

Pacquiao and Spence are already in training for the bout projected to be a sellout. – Rappler.com