Boxing legend Mayweather ready to flaunt his skills on Burj Al Arab's iconic helipad

Mayweather will take on sparring partner Don Moore in an eight-round showpiece event on May 14

By Leslie Wilson Jr

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(From left) Anderson Silva, Floyd Mayweather, Don Moore and Badou Jack during a press conference in Dubai on Wednesday. (Photo by Shihab)
(From left) Anderson Silva, Floyd Mayweather, Don Moore and Badou Jack during a press conference in Dubai on Wednesday. (Photo by Shihab)

Published: Thu 12 May 2022, 12:19 AM

Last updated: Fri 17 Jun 2022, 6:52 PM

Their relationship goes back to their teenage years when they traded punches in the world famous Las Vegas boxing Club.

Now, almost 20 years later, Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather Jr. and his trusted training partner Don Moore, take it to the next level when they square off in a spectacular eight-round exhibition boxing match on top of Burj Al Arab’s 200ft high helipad.

Mayweather, the five-time world champion who has never lost a fight in his illustrious career that spans two decades, said he intends to prove why no man could ever defeat him, including Moore.

The fight will mark Mayweather’s first boxing appearance since he fought and defeated YouTuber Logan Paul on June 6, 2021 at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, four years after he retired from professional boxing in 2017 with a unbeaten 50-0 record.

“I’m going to give the people a competitive and exciting fight,” the 45-year-old Michigan native told Khaleej Times during a pre-fight press conference at the Dubai Sports Council offices.

“I’m pretty sure every fighter on the card will put on a helluva show. We want everybody to be cheering, to be happy.

“It doesn’t matter where we fight and that the crowd will be son the smaller side (only 40 privileged ticket holders and VVIP guests). I was born a fighter and I’ll die as a fighter. Fighting is what I do and that’s why I’m going to be the best version of myself and be ready to display my skills.”

Moore, who was mentored by the legend’s uncle Roger, said he was going to use the opportunity to showcase his skills.

“This is business, never personal,” he told Khaleej Times. “Floyd and his family and everybody in the Mayweather team are like family to me. I grew up around them. I’m humbly thankful for that. But we’re going to stand to-to-toe, punch-for-punch in front of the world. It’s an exhibition fight, but it’s different. You can play soccer, football or hockey but you can’t play boxing. I’m a real fighter. I’m so excited to put on a performance.

“Our skillset is going to be very competitive. I’m not easy guy. You know, we’ve been in there before so you know what I’m going to bring to the table.

The spectacular Global Titans fight card will also feature fights between MMA legend Anderson Silva and UAE Warriors champion Bruno Machado, a former world champion in two weight classes, Badou Jack and former Egyptian boxing sensation Hany Atiyo in addition to a ladies fight between Delfine Persoon and Elhem Mekhaled.

Silva, arguably one of the greatest MMA fighters, has successfully moved to boxing since leaving the UFC in 2020, by scoring high-profile wins over former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chaves Jr and fellow UFC legend Tito Ortiz.

“I don’t know if I can fight on the same level as Mayweather, but this is a challenge for me,” he said. “I’m prepared for that. Boxing is very different to MMA, they are two very different sports.

“I have got to try to prove why I’m here to fight alongside such great fighters but I have trained had and I’m prepared for a good challenge for myself.”

The will also be the first of its kind NFT-enabled boxing event.

“Being the first organisation in the world to provide an NFT enabled live stream sports event is no easy task. But the understanding and awareness of NFTs are still growing. It is of great importance to engage with the early adopters and embrace them into this exciting Web3 project,” said Uday Singh, Global Titans CEO.

“The Burj Al Arab represents the heartbeat of Dubai. What better place to hold a mega boxing event than the iconic helipad!

The fight-card, which will begin at 10pm UAE time, will be streamed live and available free of charge to subscribers of Dubai-based subscription video on demand (SVOD) service StarzPlay.


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