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Mayweather-Pacquiao would never have happened if a Hollywood waiter didn't get involved ... so claims the waiter who's suing to get a chunk of the financial windfall from the fight of the century.

Gabriel Salvador says he was a waiter at West Hollywood hot spot Craig's when regular customer and CBS honcho Les Moonves came in for a meal. Salvador, an avid boxing fan, says he told Moonves he could set up a meeting with Manny Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach -- which, he thought, would be the first domino in making the fight happen.

According to docs obtained by TMZ Sports ... Salvador eventually got all 3 men together at Scarpetta in Bev Hills in May 2014. For setting up the sit down, Salvador says he told all parties he wanted a "customary finder's fee" of 2% of gross proceeds earned by Pacquiao, Roach and CBS/Showtime from the fight.

In the suit, he says Moonves and Roach agreed to the terms and Roach even said, "You will never have to work another day as a waiter in your life."

Salvador admits he got a ticket to the fight, one night at a Vegas hotel and a $10,000 check to cover expenses.

After the fight, he says Moonves told him CBS didn't make any money on the fight, and he'd have to collect his fee from Pacquiao and Roach. But Salvador says Keith Davidson, an attorney for Manny and Freddie, tried to strong arm him into accepting $50,000 -- and if he didn't he would lose his job and never land any acting gigs.

Yes, like most waiters in this town ... he's also an aspiring actor.

Salvador, who's still waiting tables, is suing Manny, Freddie, Keith Davidson and CBS for his finder's fee ... which he estimates at $8.6 million.

Sources connected with CBS tell TMZ ... Salvador had nothing to do with setting up the fight and this is him trying to score a payday after the fact.

A$AP Rocky got jumped by a bunch of guys in a dispute over an elevator ride in New Zealand ... TMZ has learned.

According to sources way down under ... A$AP was at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland around 3 AM local time. He has a concert there Thursday night. We're told he was getting into an elevator with some girls, and 3 guys wanted to get in also -- but A$AP told 'em there was no room left, and then it was on.

We're told the guys jumped the rapper, punching him in the head and face ... while he tried to protect the girls.

Witnesses say the suspects knew who they were dealing with because they were yelling ... "F**k A$AP!" Hotel security eventually broke it up until cops arrived and nabbed one suspect -- a 35-year-old local who was booked for assault and resisting police.

It's unclear what, if any, injuries A$AP suffered ... but as of now he's still scheduled to perform.

Blac Chyna's pissed she's looking like the bad guy after posting a vid of all the food that was stocked in Rob Kardashian's kitchen ... when all she's doing is helping him slim down.

We're told she's upset because people think she was insulting Kris Jenner, who was presumably behind the quinoa, gourmet crackers, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter ... and other healthy items purchased. Remember, he's diabetic.

Sources close to Rob and Chyna tell us they have a strict no carb rule which has been instrumental in helping Rob shed lbs. We're told Chyna was just busting on the carb-filled selections in the cabinet -- and has zero beef with Rob's mom.

Besides, we're told Chyna doesn't even buy that Kris picked out the food. As one source put it, "When's the last time you saw Kris Jenner inside a grocery store?"

Christian Slater destroyed his father's acting career by going public with allegations his dad is suffering from mental illness ... according to a new defamation lawsuit.

Thomas Knight Slater -- who's acted under the name Michael Hawkins -- says his son did an interview last year where he described his father as suffering from "manic-depressive schizophrenia."

Hawkins denies the comment and points out his son has no medical creds to make such a diagnosis.

In the suit -- filed Wednesday in L.A. and obtained by TMZ -- Hawkins says the article resulted in him being "blacklisted" in Hollywood. He says he was hoping to land more roles in the "autumn of his life," but that won't be possible after Christian's lies.

Hawkins had roles in soap operas like "Ryan's Hope" and "As the World Turns" in the '70s. He's also had small roles in some big movies -- 'Amityville Horror,' "Midnight Run" and "Mommie Dearest."

The man who's allegedly shown up multiple times at Mandy Moore's house will not dodge prosecution this time.

The L.A. City Attorney's office just filed three misdemeanor charges against Salahudin Moultaali -- stalking, violating a restraining order and trespassing. Mandy says he left several notes claiming to be God, Satan & the Devil and demanded to speak with her.

Moultaali was arrested for doing the same thing 3 times in less than 2 weeks.

If convicted, he faces up to 2.5 years behind bars. In addition to the charges, we're told Moultaali will be given a mental evaluation.

As TMZ reported ... the DA's office rejected Moultaali's case from his second arrest last Wednesday for "lack of evidence." He was back at Moore's pad on Friday.

UFC champ Conor McGregor called Nate Diaz a "cholo gangsta from the hood" in one of the most hate-fueled pre-fight press conferences ever.

Nate said everyone in the UFC -- including Conor -- was on steroids. Conor went nuts and said he was absolutely not.

Nate, who's stepping in at the last minute to replace the injured Rafael dos Anjos in UFC 196 on March 5th, was goaded by Conor, who said Nate "makes gun signs with the right hand and animal balloons with the left hand."

Conor was referring to Nate's side jobs to make money. Conor was quick to add he's now a millionaire who shops on Rodeo Drive.

You have never seen this kind of hatred.

Erin Andrews broke down in court when her father took the stand in the trial of the man who secretly recorded her nude in her hotel room.

Andrews is suing Michael David Barrett and Marriott hotels over the infamous videos he shot through a peep hole in an adjoining hotel room to Erin's. Her father, Steve Andrews, testified in a Nashville courtroom about how the recordings devastated his daughter.

He said, "She's afraid. She's afraid of crowds, afraid of people. She doesn't trust anymore."

He added that Erin puked just thinking about watching the videos. The FBI had asked her to view the clips to help agents find clues about who shot them.

Barrett got a 2 year prison sentence after pleading guilty to interstate stalking.

Adele's got Kesha's back ... and she just used a huge public platform to let the world know it.

Adele was accepting an award for Best Female Solo Artist at The Brit Awards -- which are going down Wednesday night in London. She went through the usual thank yous ... shouting out her management and record label for embracing the fact she's a woman.

And then Adele brought up Kesha's legal battle with Dr. Luke. It was a remarkable endorsement from the most popular artist in the world -- especially coming one day after the videotaped deposition ... where Kesha said Luke did NOT rape or drug her.

Kim Richards was called on the courtroom carpet Wednesday for stepping out on a red carpet with high heels.

Kim has not performed her community labor for her public intoxication conviction -- her excuse is that she suffered a foot injury which prevents her from working.

But prosecutors blasted her in court, claiming if she's so injured why are there photos of her on a red carpet with high heels?

Good point, said the judge.

Kim was sentenced to 30 days community labor in her case. The judge has ordered her to come back to court June 1, and either prove she's enrolled in a community labor program or submit a doctor's note explaining why she can't.

We couldn't find the red carpet photo, but we did get this photo of Kim in heels over the holidays.

Floyd Mayweather's entourage, The Money Team, got into a major accident on an L.A. freeway ... critically injuring one member of Floyd's crew ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Gwyneth Paltrow and her people have unveiled what will be a spectacular building on the Sunset Strip that will house her fancy, high-end new club.

Talk about a metamorphosis ... Gwyneth and her business partner, Gary Landesberg, bought Larry Flynt's Hustler sex shop, which will close at the end of the year. The building will be razed and the new, shiny, majestic one will replace it.

Gwyneth and Gary plan to open the Arts Club, similar to the one in London. The club is Soho-esque, with a fancy restaurant -- Zuma -- a nightclub and fancy stuff like poetry readings. The London club even prohibits swearing and gambling.

According to the blueprints, the new building will be 132k square feet ... almost 10x bigger than Hustler. Here's the floor-by-floor:

-- 1st-4th floors: parking, offices and gallery

-- 5th floor: dining terrace, screening room and gym

-- 6th floor: 15 guest rooms for members

-- 7th floor: restaurant, lounge and terrace

-- 8th floor: a "Japanese/Latino" restaurant

-- 9th floor: rooftop pool and terrace

Gwyn might want to think twice about the stiff membership fees -- $2k a year for the London club ... word is the LA club will be even more exclusive and pricey.

Shooting for "Ray Donovan" was interrupted after cops say a homeless man refused to leave the set ... which resulted in a 5 officer takedown.

Law enforcement tells TMZ off-duty uniformed officers were working security on the Venice beach set last Friday when it went down. We're told cops told him several times to back away from Liev Schreiber -- but instead he took a swing at an officer and tried to run.

It took several cops and a taser to restrain the guy. He was booked for battery on an officer.

We're told no one on set was involved, but y'know Ray Donovan could've handled it.

Kanye West went off Tuesday night at 1 OAK, telling the crowd Amber Rose is a liar and "that bitch never stuck no fingers in my ass."

Kanye added, "I don't play like that."

And Kanye went on to call out Taylor Swift, insisting he specifically asked her if she was ok with the line, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. I made that bitch famous." He says she "ooohed" with approval.

During the rant, which lasted 20 minutes and in front of 1 OAK owners Richie Akiva and Darren Dzienciol, Kanye gave props to Jay Z and Tidal ... as you know, Tidal subscriptions doubled after the release of "The Life of Pablo." Kanye asked the crowd if they were subscribers, and when he got no reaction he went off on them.

Akon is applauding Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam for having Beyonce's back after cops called for a boycott of her upcoming Miami concert.

We got Akon arriving at LAX and he had stern words for the Miami chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police ... calling them "childish and petty" for being offended by her Black Panther-themed Super Bowl Halftime performance.

As we previously reported, Minister Farrakhan blasted Bey's critics and vowed to offer her protection.