LOS ANGELES/MANILA – A California court has declared the contract between Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and a sports management firm as “void,” bringing an end to a three-year legal dispute between the two parties. This ruling could potentially open the door for Pacquiao to fight again in the United States.

In a ruling dated August 12, 2024, Judge Walter Schwarm of the Superior Court of the State of California stated that the agreements made between Pacquiao and Paradigm Sports Management are “illegal.” This decision follows a motion filed by the eight-division champion’s attorneys last year, asserting that Paradigm lacked the necessary license to operate as a manager under California law.

The ruling highlighted that Audie Attar, CEO of Paradigm, “testified that he did not believe he held a manager’s license for boxers in California in 2019, and he could not recall if he had such a license during 2020 and 2021.”

Furthermore, it noted, “Mr. Attar indicated that he did not think anyone at Paradigm possessed a manager’s license in 2019. He also testified that neither he nor anyone at Paradigm had a promoter’s license in 2019, 2020, or 2021.”

In addition, referring to a certificate of non-licensure dated April 18, 2023, the ruling mentioned that the California State Athletic Commission confirmed Attar was licensed as a manager from April 14, 2016, to April 30, 2017, but his “license lapsed due to his failure to complete the required annual renewal.”