President Duterte could not help but take a jab at Manny Pacquiao's seasoned boxing career amid their ongoing dispute as government officials.
"You know he has a scheduled fight but suddenly nag-back out. Probably he knows that he's too old for that," said Duterte during a speech in Antipolo City on Thursday, July 1. "And failing in his boxing career kung matalo siya, he's a goner actually."
READ: Duterte tells Pacquiao to 'work,' orders agencies to fully cooperate in probe
Pacquiao, however, did not actually back out from a fight but instead is facing a lawsuit filed by the Paradigm Sports Management for breach of contract.
The lawsuit claims that Paradigm CEO Audie Attar was negotiating for the 42-year-old fighting senator to face American welterweight contender Mikey Garcia.
Pacquiao, however, settled for a welterweight title unification bout against unified WBC and IBF champion Errol Spence Jr. at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Aug. 21.
Despite the lawsuit, Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions, assured that the fight will push through at "1000 percent."
READ: Manny Pacquiao: I'll be needing more stamina vs Errol Spence
Pacquiao's lawyer, Dale Kinsella, said in a statement that the lawsuit “is a frivolous effort to interfere with Manny Pacquiao’s upcoming mega-fight, and it can and will fail for numerous reasons.”
"Moreover, had Manny Pacquiao known that Paradigm Sports appears to have had no intention of fulfilling its contractual obligations, he never would have entered into any relationship with them. Should this matter actually proceed beyond Friday’s filing in a court of law, Mr. Pacquiao will vigorously defend this action, assert his own claims against Paradigm Sports, and seek to recover his attorney’s fees as well,” added Kinsella.
READ: Pacquiao: 'Contract breach lawsuit aimed at distracting me from Spence fight prep'
Pacquiao and Duterte have been going back and forth recently after the Filipino boxing icon pointed out the corruption happening in the current administration.
The eight-division world boxing champion, however, reiterated that he is "not attacking the President" but wants to help him in fighting corruption in the country.
Duterte, for his part, threatened Pacquiao to campaign against him should the fighting senator run in the 2022 elections.
The President added that he will "expose him as a liar" if he cannot prove his earlier claims about the current administration being "three times more corrupt" than the previous one.