The buzz on the blockbuster duel pitting Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor is certainly getting louder, and another piece has been added to soon complete the picture. The Pacman just confirmed that his partnership with The Notorious has become official, indicating that negotiations for the money-spinner have reached an advanced stage.
Pacquiao took to Twitter and shared a picture of himself holding a piece of paper that contains the two fighters' essential agreement. To sum up, the deal gives Paradigm Sports, owned by McGregor, the right to represent the Filipino boxing icon. And it is understood that foremost of the business lined up for completion by both parties is the fight that the Irishman has advertised a few days back.
The Sun said the partnership will speed up the threshing out of the details for the planned prized fight that is expected to be staged in the Middle East. The schedule has yet to be finalized but reports are pointing to December 2020 or early next year.
The new contract agreed will pave the way for Pacquiao to co-promote the boxing match, a condition set by the fighting legislator before giving the showdown his go-ahead.
In his social media post, Pacquiao announced: "Excited to have officially partnered with Paradigm Sports ... Grateful for the support of my family, team, and fans as I continue my professional boxing journey. Big things coming! Stay tuned!"
The inking of the deal is a step closer to the realization of the boxing bout, which will be the second professional outing for McGregor. The first was his losing clash in 2017 with Floyd Mayweather, which was not a title fight but a venture that won millions of dollars for the two fighters.
And months from now, the same thing is slated to happen and like the clash with Mayweather, McGregor aims to generate millions again and the haul he will need to share with Pacquiao, whose biggest purse to date was the $100 million check he took home after fighting with Mayweather in May 2015.
The Pacquiao-McGregor scrap is boxing match No. 2 for the Irishman and Talk Sport said before it takes place, McGregor will still need to do a UFC match. The MMA icon is doing a rematch with Dustin Poirier on the octagon, which likely is happening between November and December 2020.
The timing of his next UFC match appears to indicate that McGregor will only be ready to fifth with Pacquiao by the first months of 2021. Whatever the exact date will be, it has been confirmed that the boxing match will not be a title fight, meaning Pacquiao will not stake his WBA welterweight belt against McGregor.
