Fate did not allow Mayweather Jr. to fulfill his dream of a fight worthy of his boxing stature: the exhibition bout against Moore scheduled to take place on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, at an altitude of over 200 meters, could not take place and the fight will have to be held in Abu Dhabi at the Etihad Arena.

All this due to the death of the president of the United Arab Emirates, an event that first prevented Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Don Moore from taking place on its original date, May 14, and then forced the search for a new venue because most of the event’s production staff could not be part of the event on the new date, May 21.

Mayweather Jr vs Moore, a story with a previous chapter

Boxing is full of stories to tell, beyond what happens in the ring. And Don Moore’s is a peculiar one. During his time as a professional boxer, which lasted from 1999 to 2016, he had a record of 18-0-1 and 12 KOs. He developed in the lightweight, super lightweight in even welterweight categories.

The curious thing about the case, and where Floyd Mayweather Jr. is directly involved, is that Dangerous Moore trained at Pretty Boy‘s boxing gym in Las Vegas. On many occasions both fighters came to share training space and something more. As it happened prior to September 2015, ahead of Floyd’s fight against Andre Berto.

Mayweather Jr. held a public training session at his gym ahead of his fight with Andre Berto. In addition to the classic boxing skills training, Floyd had a sparring session in front of the media in which he showed his talent in the ring. His opponent is precisely the man who will try to stop him for the first time in his boxing career in the United Arab Emirates, Don Moore. Here you can watch the sparring session and imagine what may happen in their exhibition fight in UAE.

Originally, Mayweather Jr. was to star in his “limited edition boxing showcase” on February 20. This fight was to take place on the helipad of the Burj Arab Hotel, one of the most luxurious hotels in Dubai, at 210 meters above sea level. Even tennis exhibition matches have been held at this extravagant site.

However, negotiations between Pretty Boy and his then-rival, Emirati youtuberMoney Kicks, fell apart. Subsequently, the five-division World Champion announced that he would fight on May 14 at the same venue but against Don Moore, a former boxer with whom he shared a gym for many years. However, the death of the then president of the United Arab Emirates, one daybefore the fight, put a damper on his plans due to the national mourning decree.

The new date of the exhibition fight Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Don Moore

Apparently the third time Floyd Mayweather Jr will step into a ring under the context of an exhibition fight, after retiring in August 2017 by defeating Conor McGregor at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, will not take that long, as the Pretty Boy was quick to announce the new date of his fight against Don Moore.

In a post on his official Instagram account, where Mayweather Jr. has more than 28 million followers, Money announced that his exhibition fight against Don Moore will take place on Saturday, May 21, at the same venue: the helipad of the Burj Arab Hotel in Dubai, 210 meters high.

In his previous fights, Mayweather Jr was undefeated. In the first one, in 2018, he faced Kickboxer fighter Tenshin Nasukawa whom he easily defeated. Subsequently, in 2021 he faced Logan Paul, brother of Youtuber Jake Paul, in Miami, after 8 agreed rounds no winner was decreed.

Fans of the five-division World Champion were rubbing their hands together as May 14 approached and with it the possibility of enjoying Mayweather Jr. in the ring once again. This time against a much more serious opponent than those he faced in his previous exhibitions: the undefeated former boxer Don Moore.

The fight was to take place in an unbeatable setting, very Floyd Mayweather Jr. style: in the luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel, specifically in its helipad located at 321 meters above sea level. Both former UFC star Anderson Silva and former two-division world champion Badou Jack were announced on the undercard.

Why was Floyd Mayweather Jr vs Don Moore in Dubai postponed?

On the morning of May 12, news of the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan at the age of 73 was confirmed. Khalifa had held that position since 2004, however, a heart attack in 2014 kept him away from public activity.The Al-Nahyan family is considered one of the richest and most powerful in the world, as their fortune is estimated at $150 billion.

The fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Don Moore scheduled for May 14 was cancelled after the UAE Ministry of Presidential Affairs declared 40 days of national mourning, with flags at half-mast. In addition, the suspension of any public or private work activity was ordered for 3 days.

Floyd Mayweather Jr’s other fight in Dubai that was canceled in early 2022

With great fanfare, as Floyd Mayweather Jr. likes to do things, it was announced that on February 20, Money would hold a “limited edition boxing show case” on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel. His opponent, which was never officially confirmed, was to be the Emirati youtuber Money Kicks.

As the date was approaching, there was no more news about it, until it was known that the negotiations between Mayweather Jr. and Money Kicks had broken down, so the fight in the heights did not take place, just like the one Floyd had agreed against Don Moore.

The venue for Money’s fight is none other than Dubai, where the luxurious Burj Al Arab hotel will provide his helipad at an altitude of 210 meters / 698 feet so that Mayweather Jr. can touch the sky, the moon and the stars should he emerge victorious from this fight.

Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s opponent for this May 14 fight promises to be much more serious than the two he has had in his previous exhibition fights. Unlike Tenshin Nasukawa and Logan Paul, Don Moore is a former professional boxer. He retired in 2016 with a record of 18-0-1 and 12 KOs.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Don Moore PPV price

For those with the resources, you can enjoy the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Don Moore exhibition fight live from Dubai on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab. However, it is a reality that many more will have to enjoy the Pretty Boy’s boxing from afar.

Thus, it was revealed that the pay-per-view cost to watch Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be $14.99 in the United States and £12.99 for the United Kingdom and the platform to tune in to the broadcast will be LIVENow.

The Mayweather Jr. vs. Moore undercard will feature former UFC star Anderson Silva taking on fellow countryman Bruno Machado; former world champion Badou Jack facing Egypt’s Hany Atiyo, and former World Lightweight Female Champion Delfine Persoon facing France’s Elhem Mekhaled.

Mayweather Jr.’s record of 50-0-0, 27 KOs, puts him as one of the best boxers to ever live. Quite simply, he is one of the few who make up the exclusive list of World Champions in five different weight classes. In addition, Pretty Boy also triumphed in the money ring, as his fortune is estimated at $450 million dollars.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has had two exhibition fights prior to the one he will hold on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai against Don Moore. He won both of them, although they were not against boxers with real experience: the first was against Tenshin Nasukawa in 2018, a kickboxing fighter, and the second against Youtuber Logan Paul, brother of fellow social media star and active boxer Jake Paul in 2021.

Don Moore, Mayweather Jr’s next rival

Born in 1977, like Pretty Boy, in Gary, Indiana, Don Moore is an inactive professional boxer. Nicknamed Dangerous, he made his ring debut in March 1999. He spent most of his professional career in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions.

After 17 years of career, his record is very worthy: 19 sustained fights, 18 won, 12 by knockout, and 1 drawn.It should be noted that none of the fights Don Moore held were for World Championships and, likewise, of his 19 opponents, none of them were undefeated (including two debutants).

The story between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Don Moore

Moore has had a relationship with Mayweather Jr. for more than ten years. As he shows on his instagram account, where since 2012 he has uploaded photos training at Floyd’s gym, even being attended by Floyd Mayweather Sr.

Don Moore’s last years as a professional boxer were spent under the shelter of Floyd Mayweather Jr, whom he even helped in his training as a sparring partner.In fact, one of the rounds Moore and Pretty Boy fought was recorded. In it, Floyd schools Don Moore in yet another display of his amazingboxing skills.

This episode ocurred in 2015 when Floyd Mayweather Jr. was getting ready to face Andre Berto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, in a fight for the WBC and WBA World Welterweight titles. Money had just won a purse of 250 million dollars in May of that year after defeating Manny Pacquiao.