Mayweather vs. Pacquiao 2015: National Anthem Singers, Ring Announcers, Justin Bieber And Other Celebs At Fight
Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao will be one of the biggest boxing matches of all time, but the two fighters are only part of the story. Saturday’s bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas will be a star-studded event, and several celebrities will be involved in the festivities.
Jamie Foxx is set to perform the national anthem, according to TMZ. The Oscar and Grammy award winner has sung at a big fight before, performing "America the Beautiful" when Pacquiao fought Shane Mosley in 2011. Gail Banawis, a 19-year-old Bronx native and Filipina-American, will also sing, performing the Philippine national anthem.
Justin Bieber won’t sing before the fight, but the recording artist is expected be at the MGM Grand, and not simply sitting in the stands. Bieber will reportedly walk to the ring with Mayweather as he holds the boxer’s championship belt. Doing so wouldn’t be the first time for Bieber, considering he accompanied Mayweather to the ring before his fights with Miguel Cotto and Canelo Alvarez.
Mayweather has become known for walking to the ring with his famous friends. Rappers Lil Wayne and 50 Cent have also walked out with the undefeated boxer. Even professional wrestler Triple H has accompanied Mayweather to the squared circle. Mayweather took part in WrestleMania in 2008 during his 21 month hiatus from boxing.
Because the event is a joint pay-per-view between HBO and Showtime, there will be two ring announcers for the fight. Legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer will announce Pacquiao to the ring, while Jimmy Lennon Jr. will announce Mayweather.
Because only 500 tickets were sold to the general public, the MGM Grand Garden arena will be packed with celebrities. Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck will all be in attendance, sitting in the first few rows. Michael J. Fox and producer Jerry Bruckheimer will also be close to the action. Leonardo DiCaprio and Denzel Washington are expected to be ringside.
“You can’t believe the VIPs coming,” said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum on Wednesday.
“There’ll be as many celebrities in Hollywood at the fight as there are during the Academy Awards.”
Mark Wahlberg and Diddy made headlines by wagering $250,000 on the fight. Wahlberg is backing Pacquiao, while Diddy is taking Mayweather.
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