Floyd Mayweather is returning to the exhibition boxing world. His next opponent has been recently announced as “Dangerous” Don Moore.
The event billed as “The Global Titans Fight Series,” sees Mayweather taking his talents to a helipad at the top of the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai on May 14.
When he was active, Mayweather usually fought twice a year, in May and September, during the last few years of his legendary career.
🥊 ANNOUNCED: Floyd Mayweather will return to the ring for an eight-round exhibition fight against Don Moore on May 14th at the helipad on top of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, UAE. It's being reported that the undercard will feature Anderson Silva and Badou Jack. pic.twitter.com/ePEm1g78Ki
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) April 7, 2022
New Opponent
Initially, his opponent was rumored to be a local United Arab Emirates-based fighter named Rashed “Money Kicks” Belhasa.
Mayweather held a press conference earlier this year where he previewed the location in the UAE to the media but didn’t confirm a date or opponent.
Now reports are that “Dangerous” Don Moore, an 18-0-1 fighter from Gary, Indiana, will step into the ring for an 8-round exhibition against the self-proclaimed “TBE” or “The Best Ever.”
Who Is Don Moore?
However, Moore has been inactive since 2016. He usually fights at featherweight, and Mayweather has traditionally fought at a higher weight class, welterweight. Moore’s last outing was at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds; it was the only time.
Additionally, the 42-year-old Moore has never fought more than eight rounds and has never been a champion.
Mayweather is currently 45 years old and considered the blueprint for the boxer-businessman.
https://twitter.com/mymixtapez/status/1511898595108134916?s=20&t=hZlsPqEB6CSI1ar9inEMDQ
Exhibition “Money”
The exhibition life has been good for Mayweather. He gets paid large sums for what, in essence, comes down to a play fight that does not affect his perfect record.
He famously fought a boxing exhibition at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan against Tenshin Nasukawa, where he knocked the local star kickboxer out in the first round.
He followed that up with a high-profile mismatch exhibition against social media star Logan Paul in Miami during the summer of 2021. Mayweather called the fight a “legal bank robbery,” while Paul has complained of never being paid from the bout.
Shakeup
Still, the fight comes when Mayweather’s protegè, Gervonta “Tank” Davis, is at the end of his contract with Mayweather Promotions and his last fight is against stablemate Roland “Rolly” Romero.
Although the pre-fight hype is entertaining, Romero is considered a lesser talent than Davis. Many, including Tank, speculate that the fight is a setup for Romero to gain a name from the exiting multi-weight class world champion.
Although Mayweather flirted with the concept of the UAE fight, it seems he is going full steam now that Tank is starting to appear in his rearview mirror.
The Veteran’s Vet
The other bouts on the card are also intriguing and bolster the interest Mayweather is trying to achieve globally.
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva laces back up the gloves, taking on mixed martial artist Bruno Machado in an eight-round boxing exhibition.
Since departing the UFC, Silva has fought in three boxing matches, most recently handing Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. a loss in Mexico and knocking out former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz in 81 seconds.
New Money Or New Problems?
Mayweather knows how to generate currency wherever he goes. Now a veteran fighter, he finds lucrative opportunities to stay busy but not risk and damage his legacy or body.
However, how much of this is a realization that his stable without Tank isn’t as strong without him helping to fuel the promotional company is still unclear.
