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Paradigm Sports Management announced via press release Tuesday that it signed an agreement to represent superstar boxer Manny Pacquiao, a move that leads many to wonder if this is the first domino to fall in regards to putting together a crossover boxing event pitting Pacquiao against MMA superstar Conor McGregor. After all, Paradigm President and CEO Audie Attar currently manages McGregor and also played a big role in setting up McGregor’s 2017 boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“I am proud to partner with Paradigm Sports Management and am excited for the opportunities that Audie Attar and PSM have to offer,” Pacquiao said via the release. “One thing I want everyone to remember is to always think positively. Never think negatively; that is the beginning of your downfall. Everything is possible”.
McGregor sure seemed happy about the move.
Paradigm’s Impressive Roster Continues to Grow
In addition to working with Pacquiao and McGregor, Paradigm’s stable also includes MMA stars Israel Adesanya, Leon Edwards and Cris Cyborg.
Attar expressed excitement over adding Pacquiao to that group. The 41-year-old boxer has won world titles in eight different weight classes and is one of the most popular sports celebrities in the world.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity not only to maximize Manny’s boxing career but to help him continue to leave a legacy he is proud of through the lens of business and sport,” Attar said via the release. “My approach is to focus on each client and their goals always, and I look forward to fighting on his behalf.”
McGregor Interested in Facing Pacquiao
McGregor, 31, from Dublin, is 0-1 as a professional boxer but told the media at UFC 246 he wanted to win a world title in boxing. That might make Pacquiao the ideal opponent for McGregor’s next boxing bout because Pacquiao currently holds the WBA welterweight title.
However, that might not mean as much as it appears at first glance. After all, boxing’s welterweight division is contested at 147 pounds, and McGregor just fought in the UFC’s 170-pound division last month.
Could the Irish superstar get all the way back down to 147 later this year?
Regardless, McGregor’s lone appearance in boxing came in August 2017 against Mayweather. It was the second-highest selling PPV event of all-time, trailing only Mayweather-Pacquiao in 2015. But Mayweather retired after that fight, while Pacquiao has remained active over the same time period while competing at the top of the sport.
Pacquiao Seems Interested, Too
Pacquiao defeated Keith Thurman in July to capture the WBA welterweight title. In that fight, Pacquiao looked quite sharp and at the top his game against a younger, larger and previously undefeated welterweight in Thurman who is considered by most to be one of the hardest punchers in the division.
While Pacquiao hasn’t talked as much about potentially boxing McGregor, the superstar boxer did post a video message to him the same week McGregor’s comments out about making the Pacquiao vs. McGregor fight happen.
That, along with the sudden signing of Pacquiao to the same company that manages McGregor, only adds fuel to the fire that the superfight is on its way to potentially happening sometime later this year.
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Did First Manny Pacquiao vs. Conor McGregor Domino Just Fall?