Floyd Mayweather is the most successful boxer-businessman of all time, something he has credited on multiple occasions to timing and inches. However, this weekend’s timing was not on his side as his planned exhibition match against “Dangerous” Don Moore in Dubai was postponed.
The Global Titans Fight Series event postponement was due to the untimely death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, who passed away on Friday. Sheikh Khalifa died at the age 73.
As a result, the country had a moratorium on all activities during a nationwide mourning period.
Rest In Power
“We are deeply saddened by the announcement of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President and ruler of Abu Dhabi, passing away earlier this afternoon,” Global Titans promotions said in a statement released on Friday. “Due to the passing of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates will be observing an official period of mourning for the next 40 days,” the statement continued.
“Out of deepest respect and due to these unforeseen circumstances of Force Majeure, the Global Titans Dubai event which was scheduled to take place on May 14th at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah has been postponed until further notice, with a new date to be announced very soon. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and reassure fans that this spectacular event will be staged in future.”
Salvaging The Event
According to the website, the fight for pay-per-view streaming service FITE.tv was “sold out” but now has a new date of May 21 for the event. The postponement does not just affect Mayweather and his opponent. It also was a setback for former UFC middleweight champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva, who was also set to box.
“Sending my condolences to the entire UAE. RIP Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed,” Mayweather posted to his Instagram with a photo of the late leader.
However, it was not the only surprise that hit Mayweather over the weekend. While in the desert picking up the pieces of the event, Logan Paul was in New York, letting the media know he is still frustrated over not receiving all of the money from his exhibition fight against Mayweather in 2021.
The Logan Paul Problem
“No, he has not paid me in full,” Pau said to TMZ over the weekend. “That is a fact. Short a few mil. We’re taking this one to court. See you in the courtroom. Congrats on going to prison, Floyd.”
Mayweather spoke on the allegations on “The Pivot Podcast,” calling it a misunderstanding about how the back-end profits from pay-per-view works.
“This comes with the territory,” said Mayweather. “To them, that’s real money, and I like the YouTubers. The money on the back end, though, from pay-per-view, that takes a while.
“Nothing comes right away. I’m still collecting checks from fights seven or eight years ago. They just hate when the table is turned. Be happy with the biggest payday you ever got in your life.”
While Mayweather continues to create opportunities in retirement, he has hit a speed bump along the journey of being the most polarizing boxer ever.
