( CNN ) When Les Moonves sits down at a restaurant in Hollywood , it 's usually the waiter 's lucky night . As the president and CEO of CBS Corp. , which includes Showtime , Moonves runs a powerful television network in a town where nearly every waiter also wants to be an actor . But when he walked into Craig 's in West Hollywood last year , those roles were reversed . This time , Moonves ' waiter , Gabriel Salvador , was the one serving up a mouthwatering opportunity that had nothing to do with the shrimp diavolo . Instead , he was offering Moonves an `` in '' to the most coveted match-up in boxing : Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao . `` Moonves ' love of boxing , our love of boxing -- that gave me the confidence to say to him 'Give me a chance , ' '' said Salvador , an actor who has appeared in `` Bones '' and `` Blue Bloods . '' `` I said ' I can help you make this fight happen , ' and he looked at me like , 'Okay , I 'm listening . ' '' That 's when Salvador told Moonves his son trained at the Hollywood gym owned by Freddie Roach , Pacquiao 's trainer , and that he would put in a good word for Moonves . At that point , Salvador told CNN , he was driven more by his passion to see the fight happen than any real connection to Roach . But he got Roach 's phone number from his son , Elijah , who was skeptical of his father 's plan . Everybody had already tried , his son said . But Salvador made the call and gained an audience in Roach . `` I said , 'Listen , I can help you make this fight happen , ' '' Salvador said in an interview with CNN . Salvador helped set up a meeting between Moonves , Roach and himself at Scarpetta in Beverly Hills that he says began with a discussion about the legacy of boxing . `` Mr. Moonves said to me , 'If this fight happens , you 're going to be sitting there , ' '' said Salvador . Salvador 's role ended after that dinner . What followed was a series of meetings between Moonves and both sides that eventually ended the stalemate keeping Pacquiao and Mayweather from entering the same ring . The May 2 fight -- on the pay-per-view services of Showtime and HBO -- is expected to gross as much as $ 600 million . With that kind of money , and a smattering of media buzz around Salvador 's story , inevitable questions circulated over what , if any , reward he should get , given the epic nature of the fight . When asked to comment , Pacquiao 's team downplayed Salvador 's role . `` For him giving Les my phone number I do n't think he deserves a finder 's fee , '' Roach told CNN . Promoter Bob Arum said Salvador `` got his 10 minutes of fame , '' though he called Salvador `` a really nice guy . '' Salvador insists he is not seeking money , and a CBS spokesman confirmed his role in the initial meeting . `` My reward will be sitting at the fight , '' Salvador said . Moonves made good on that promise -- Salvador will be ringside on Saturday night . `` It 's about taking a chance , '' Salvador said . `` It 's about putting people in touch with each other and being able to sit back and say , 'Wow , I planted that seed . ' ''
Gabriel Salvador set up an initial meeting between a TV exec and Manny Pacquiao 's trainer . The two men met in the Philippines last week, where they discussed Pacquiao's upcoming fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.