LAUNCHING TODAY BOXINGJUNKIE.COM
Without Salvador, Mayweather not facing Pacquiao
Where fans can get breaking news, live event coverage, more.
LOS ANGELES While few could dispute that boxing ’s seminal contest between its brightest stars, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao, belongs nowhere other than amid the shimmering madness of the Las Vegas Strip, the tale of how the longawaited bout came together has roots entrenched in Tinseltown.
When Mayweather and Pac- quiao go head-to-head at MGM Grand on May 2, it will be because of a conversation that took place in Hollywood, involving a guy trying to make it in Hollywood, in a tale fit for Hollywood.
Gabriel Salvador is an actor good enough to have recurring roles on Fox’s Bones and CBS’
Blue Bloods but who still waits tables at Los Angeles hot spot Craig ’s, thanks to the acting profession’s top-heavy pay scale and infrequent opportunities.
“I was the right person in the right place at the right time,” Salvador told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m a big dreamer, and this was the kind of fight that needed someone to dream big.”
Salvador’s shifts at Craig ’s gave him the opportunity to strike up a rapport with CBS President Les Moonves, a regular customer at
the establishment. Moonves also happens to be the man responsible for signing off on the vast checks the company’s cable outlet, Showtime, has spent on bigtime boxing — most notably its lucrative multiyear deal with Mayweather, who is 47-0 (26 KOs) heading into the clash.
Salvador also is a friend of Freddie Roach, longtime trainer of Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 KOs), and said that while chatting up Moonves he developed an unshakable feeling those two men could cut through the politicking and power struggles that appeared to have doomed boxing ’s dream matchup.
“I am always looking to put people together,” Salvador said, “and I knew Mr. Moonves and Freddie Roach were the kind of people who could find common ground — and see common sense.”
Finally, midway through last year, Moonves agreed to meet with Roach. The trainer then effectively brokered peace between Moonves and Pacquiao’s promoter, Bob Arum, who were not on speaking terms after a previous Pacquiao deal soured.
Moonves brought Mayweather’s adviser, Al Haymon, into the discussions, and suddenly the biggest obstacles were cleared.
Rumors started swirling anew about Mayweather-Pacquiao in the buildup to the Filipino star’s lopsided victory against Chris Algieri in Macau in November. More meetings in the early part of this year honed the finer points of the agreement before the event was announced in February.
The result is what is being billed by many as the latest Fight of the Century. Mayweather is primed to make about $180 mil- lion, with Pacquiao also likely to get into nine-figures territory.
Although Moonves, Roach and Arum were central figures to getting the deal done, it might have never started if not for Salvador.
“Every story has to start somewhere,” Arum said. “And in the end you can say that you can pinpoint it back to a waiter in a restaurant.
“It really is an incredible story. As much as the public was clamoring for this fight, as much as Manny wanted it, all the money at stake, some of the most powerful people in boxing, everything else, there was still a missing bridge. Once that was fixed, ev- erything could move forward. Sometimes it just happens that way in business. This time the key introduction was from a person who was not in the boxing business but knew the right people.”
Moonves is happy to allow others to talk up his personal role, preferring to simply voice his satisfaction that the match was ultimately made and confirming that Salvador — “a great guy” — came to him directly with the idea for an introduction to Roach.
Moonves is one of television’s heaviest hitters, his importance to the CBS/Showtime brand so entrenched that his $57.2 million salary from last year actually represented a dip in reimbursement from the previous period.
Arum has been one of boxing ’s most important figures for decades, while Haymon, a former music mogul, is also überwealthy. The fighters themselves don’t get out of bed unless there are millions at stake.
“Despite all that, I can say that this fight wouldn’t have happened without me,” Salvador said. “It is not something I say in an arrogant way, but it gives me a lot of pride to be part of something historic and to think that I set things in motion.”
Salvador says he plans to be in Las Vegas for the fight, having received one of the precious tickets as thanks for his involvement. Ringside seats are a tough find for this bout, even for A-listers such as those Salvador lines up alongside on television.
“I’m going to be there, and I don’t think there is anything in the world that could keep me away,” Salvador said. “I can’t wait for it, and I know that when fight time comes around I will be both proud and excited. Being there in the arena will feel like the natural way to end the journey.
“The fight has become a special thing in my life. I feel connected to it because of the part I played.”