“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.”

Paradigm CEO Attar, who also works with the likes of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and Bellator women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg, post a photo and video of the contract procedure on his Instagram.

“Incredibly proud to announce that [Paradigm] is officially representing Manny Pacquiao. We have reached this point thanks to the countless hours spent on both sides and I’d like to thank everyone involved in the process. I am honoured to partner with Arnold Ping, lawyer Brando [Viernesto] and Jayke [Joson], along with all the rest of Team Pacquiao back in Manila and cannot wait to work with Manny in this stage of his already prolific career,” Attar said.

“I want to thank [Pacquiao’s wife] Jinkee Pacquiao for welcoming us to the Pacquiao home and Happy Birthday again to [Pacquiao’s eldest son] Jimuel.”

Pacquiao (professional boxing record 62-7-1) is the WBA welterweight title holder after beating Keith Thurman via split decision in July 2019. Now entering his 25th year of pro boxing, Pacquiao’s manager Sean Gibbons confirmed with The Athletic in January that the southpaw is scheduling a return for April and would “welcome Floyd Mayweather [Jnr] or Conor McGregor as his next opponent”.

The new management deal will not affect his existing boxing agreement with super-promoter Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions and he “has existing fights left”, Gibbons told ESPN.

McGregor’s (professional MMA record 22-4) only professional boxing experience came in a tenth-round loss to undefeated American Floyd Mayweather Jnr in 2017. Pacquiao also lost to the boxing great in what was a record-breaking pay-per-view deemed “the fight of the century” in 2015.

McGregor stated upon returning to the Octagon after a year’s hiatus that one of his long term goals is to “win a boxing world championship”.