Gabriel Rueda a/k/a Gabriel Salvador is a Los Angeles-based waiter and actor. Under his stage name of Gabriel Salvador, he's appeared on several television shows, but under his real name, Gabriel Rueda, he's the plaintiff in a fascinating lawsuit that airs out the seedy underside of the boxing business.  Rueda claims he arranged a meeting between a network executive and a boxing trainer that led to the most lucrative pay-per-view boxing match in history, the 2015 fight between Floyd Mayweather, Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Now he wants to get paid for his efforts.  Based on a recent published decision from the California state court in which his lawsuit is pending, it is clear there is some truth to his story and that he did actually help set up the fight.  Whether Rueda will actually get paid for his role is another question, one that has yet to be determined.  

Here is the story so far, taken from court records, and based on Rueda's allegations, which seem to have some truth to them but have yet to be legally proven:

Working as a waiter, Rueda came to know Les Moonves, the former head of CBS, because Moonves frequented the restaurant where Rueda worked. Rueda also knew Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach who sometimes trained Rueda’s son. On one of Moonves' visits to the restaurant, Rueda suggested to Moonves that he step in and help negotiate a Mayweather-Pacquiao fight. Moonves liked the idea and asked Rueda to introduce him to Roach.

According to Rueda, Moonves assured Rueda he “would be taken care of financially” if the fight occurred. When Rueda told Roach about Moonves’s interest, Roach also promised Rueda a “finder’s fee” if the fight took place. Rueda, Moonves, and Roach met in May 2014.

Roach said Pacquiao knew about the meeting and “specifically authorized” payment of a finder’s fee to Rueda if the fight occurred. Moonves and Roach agreed at the meeting that Rueda would be paid two percent of the gross proceeds earned by the Pacquiao-Roach team and CBS-Showtime.

As boxing fans know, the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight took place in May 2015 and Mayweather won by decision. More importantly for the lawsuit, HBO and Showtime jointly broadcast the fight on pay-per-view to over 4 million paying customers.  Gross proceeds from the broadcast were in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and Pacquiao is said to have earned more than $160 million. 

It is undisputed that Showtime provided Rueda a ticket to the fight in Las Vegas, one night’s free lodging, and $10,000 to cover other expenses. It's unlikely that perk would have been extended to Rueda had he not done something to facilitate the big fight.

The month after the fight, Rueda asked Moonves for his finder’s fee. According to Rueda, Moonves told Rueda that CBS and Showtime made no money on the fight but he would facilitate a discussion with the Roach-Pacquiao camp for payment to Rueda of their portion of the fee. The next day, Rueda received a call from Keith Davidson, who said he was calling on behalf of Roach and Pacquiao. (Davidson recently gained some notoriety as the former attorney for Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who had an affair with United States President Donald Trump). Rueda asked Davidson if he was calling in relation to his conversation with Moonves, and Davidson confirmed he was.

When Davidson and Rueda met the following day at a coffee shop, Davidson told Rueda he was an attorney for Roach and Pacquiao plus “‘a few other powerful people’” and asked Rueda, “what do you want?” 

Rueda told Davidson that Moonves, Roach, and Pacquiao had agreed to pay him a two percent finder’s fee. At the meeting, Rueda “made a settlement proposal” and Davidson responded he would get back to him in a few days.

Several days later, Davidson met Rueda at the same coffee shop and “told him to accept payment of $50,000 tax free and release everybody, including Moonves, Showtime and CBS.” Davidson told Rueda that if did not take this offer, he would lose his job as a waiter and “never work as an actor in this town again.”

After this meeting with Davidson, Rueda spoke to management at the restaurant where he worked. Rueda was told that Davidson had actually called the restaurant and the restaurant intended to fire Rueda if he did not take Davidson’s offer or if he pursued a claim against CBS. (Rueda, however, ultimately did not lose his job as a waiter).

If, on the other hand, Rueda signed the release, Davidson said he would use his contacts at Creative Artists Agency to obtain more acting roles for him. Davidson gave Rueda 48 hours to accept the offer and refused to entertain any counter-offers. During the conversation, Davidson’s demeanor was “very aggressive” and three people who overheard the conversation told Rueda, after Davidson left, that they wanted to call the police.

Rueda did not accept Davidson’s offer. Over the next several weeks, Rueda says people associated with Roach’s boxing gym taunted Rueda at his workplace, filmed and touched him without his consent, and followed him at the end of his restaurant shifts late at night. Someone slashed both rear tires of Rueda’s car. Rueda filed a police report and complained Davidson threatened him and people were watching and following him. When police officers contacted Davidson to investigate Rueda’s complaints, Davidson admitted to contacting Rueda’s employer.

Approximately eight months after Rueda met with Davidson, Rueda sued Pacquiao, Roach, Davidson, CBS, and Showtime, alleging causes of action based on theories of contract, unjust enrichment, fraud, extortion, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.  The lawsuit is continuing in California state court.