PARADIGM Sports Management scored a knockout against boxing legend Manny Pacquiao after a California jury found the retired fighter guilty of breaching his exclusive contract to the firm owned by Audie Attar.
Voting 9-3, the jury favored Paradigm in the civil lawsuit which ordered the 44-year-old Pacquiao to pay out a total of $5.1 million (around P281 million).
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The court awarded Paradigm $1.8 million in damages and at the same time, ordered Pacquiao to return the $3.3 million advance he received from the sports management group.
ABS-CBN Los Angeles-based correspondent Steve Angeles was the first to break the news.
Pacquiao’s camp has yet to issue a statement regarding the court decision as of post time.
The only eight-time world division champion was in the US last week to watch the Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia lightweight showdown, and at the same time, testify on the stand as witness to the lawsuit filed by Paradigm in 2021.

Pacquiao was asked questions by his lawyer Bruce Cleeland, and later on, cross examined by Judd Burstein, lawyer of Paradigm.
Attar also took the witness stand and testified on behalf of the management group that also handles UFC superstar ConnorMcGregor.
Paradigm sued Pacquiao after the boxing icon fought replacement foe Yordenis Ugas for the WBA welterweight title despite having a contract with the firm which he signed in 2020 just before the pandemic outbreak.
Ugas was a late replacement for Errol Spence, who had to back out of the mega fight after suffering a retinal detachment two weeks before the bout.
Paradigm insisted Pacquiao failed to conceal his pre-existing agreements with TGB and noted there were other people interfering in their efforts to secure a fight to the former Philippine senator.
The Pacquiao camp meanwhile, argued it has the right to terminate the contract since Paradigm failed to give the Filipino fights and promotional endorsements.
Paradigm initially thought of arranging a blockbuster McGregor-Pacquiao match, but the plan was eventually shelved when McGregor lost to Dustin Poirer in UFC 257.
It later tried to bring in former four-weight class champion Mikey Garcia to fight Pacquiao, only for Paradigm to abandon negotiations when the ‘Pacman’ suddenly announced he will be fighting Spence in August of 2021.
Attar tried to stop the Pacquiao-Ugas fight from happening, but an Orange County court denied Paradigm’s preliminary court injunction.
Now there’s no denying Paradigm following the jury’s decision.
“We are elated to learn of the jury’s ruling in Paradigm’s favor in our suit against Manny Pacquiao,” said Attar in a statement.
“The jury plainly found that Pacquiao testidied falsely in denying Paradigm’s claims against him, and his excuses for his conduct proves our case that a breach of contract was committed.”
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