Eight-division boxing world champion Manny Pacquiao has lost tens of millions of dollars in potential revenue after Conor McGregor’s defeat to Dustin Poirier, according to reports. The Filipino veteran was expected by many to face ‘The Notorious’ later this year in a crossover bout, but the fight now appears dead in the water as a result of McGregor’s shock defeat.
The Irishman was hoping to brush Poirier aside before facing Pacquiao but the two-time UFC champion was humbled in devastating fashion.
‘The Diamond’ broke McGregor down with a series of brutal leg kicks before a barrage of punches finished the bout before the end of the second round.
It seems as if Pacquiao will be feeling the effects of the result in his wallet, with his chances of one last major payday against McGregor all but over for now.
The 42-year-old had signed with Paradigm Sports Management, the same company that oversees McGregor’s career, last year with the hopes of enabling smooth negotiations with the Irishman’s team.
World Boxing News has reported that Pacquiao was in line to receive an eight-figure payslip after fighting the UFC star, an offer that now looks unlikely to come to fruition.
However, the report also claims that Paradigm still has hopes of arranging the bout, with McGregor yet to rule out the possibility of another foray into boxing.
His first attempt in 2017 ended in a one-sided defeat at the hands of Floyd Mayweather, who was well ahead on the scorecards before securing the win by way of technical knockout in the tenth round.
McGregor is said to be eyeing a trilogy fight with Poirier as his next move, but could resurrect the possibility of facing Pacquiao if he comes out on top.
He directly addressed the rumours in a lengthy Instagram post after last month’s defeat, admitting that he was using the fight to prepare for the boxing ring.
