Mayweather Jr., Pacquiao attend Bucks-Heat game, talk at halftime

If Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao ultimately meet in the ring, it might have been a canceled airplane trip and a chance get-together Tuesday in Miami that helped make the dream megafight a reality.

Both boxers attended the Milwaukee Bucks-Miami Heat NBA game at American Airlines Arena, and at halftime, Mayweather walked over to where Pacquiao was sitting and the two had a brief but amicable conversation, according to courtside witnesses who were in close proximity.

Pacquiao told The Associated Press he had never spoken to Mayweather in person before Tuesday.

“He gave his (cellphone) number to me and said we will communicate with each other, and he told me it was time to work this fight out ourselves,” Pacquiao told the AP.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, has said the sides have agreed to terms on a deal. Stephen Espinoza, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, said Tuesday that no deal has been finalized but progress was being made for a May 2 fight at the MGM Grand Garden.

Pacquiao was in Miami last weekend to judge the Miss Universe pageant and scheduled to return to Los Angeles on Tuesday. But his flight was canceled, so Pacquiao, a huge basketball fan who owns a team in the Philippines and is a friend of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, attended the Bucks-Heat game.

Mayweather, also a huge NBA fan, has a home in Miami and has attended numerous Heat games over the years. He was courtside at a Los Angeles Clippers game Thursday, and when fans saw him, they began a “Fight Pacquiao!” chant.

Tuesday’s chance meeting quickly found its way onto social media platforms, with Twitter and Instagram and other outlets showing photos and video of Pacquiao and Mayweather together.

The operators of the arena scoreboard seemed optimistic about the two coming to terms. Late in the first quarter, they showed photos of them side by side on the video board and welcomed them to the game with the words “Coming in 2015?” across the top of the images of Mayweather and Pacquiao.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.