Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada will be rooting for underdog Manny Pacquiao when he squares off against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Saturday for the biggest purse in boxing history.
Reid, a former amateur boxer, was initially reluctant to reveal his allegiance to Pacquiao, but he acknowledged that the Filipino had helped him win a tough reelection race in 2010.
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?Mayweather?s been good too but, yes, I hope Pacquiao wins,? he told The Hill.
Mayweather is a roughly 2-to-1 favorite in a fight expected to break sports- betting records. It?s being billed as the fight of the century.
A spokeswoman for Reid said he would not attend the fight.
Pacquiao told the Los Angeles Times shortly after Election Day 2010 that he helped Reid overcome a late deficit in the polls.
?[Reid] was behind 4 percent in the polls before I got out there,? he said. ?There?s a lot of Filipinos in Las Vegas.?
Reid later helped Pacquiao set up a private lunch meeting with President Obama at the White House and praised him on the Senate floor.
?I?m most gratified that he?s a friend of Nevada?s, where his sport is a major player in our economic arena. He?s someone I really admire,? Reid said at the time.
Reid fought about 15 to 20 fights while attending the College of Southern Utah at Cedar City.
He broke his ribs against Al Swiderski, a bigger opponent, and sometimes earned small purses, according to The Good Fight, Reid?s memoir.
Pacquiao and Mayweather will split an estimated $300 million purse, with Pacquiao taking 40 percent, or $120 million, and Mayweather the rest.
Tickets are selling for more than $100,000. The cheapest seat costs more than $4,000.
Reid last week helped resolve a dispute over ticket allocations for the match, placing a call to the MGM Grand after promoter Bob Arum told him a disagreement had held up sales.
LarryBrownSports.com reported that Reid had inquired about buying tickets for himself and Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).
The two Senate veterans were spotted sitting next to each other ringside at a championship fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins in 2004.
McCain said he wanted to watch the fight in person but found the tickets too expensive.
?I didn?t have $10,000 for a ticket. If it was anywhere near reasonable I?d be there. Instead I?ll pay $99 to watch it on television,? he said.
