Floyd Mayweather vs Don Moore cancelled after death of UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Mayweather had been preparing to face his fellow American on the helipad of a hotel in Dubai

Alex Pattle

Combat Sports Correspondent

Saturday 14 May 2022 08:52 BST

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Floyd Mayweather, 45, had been preparing for his third exhibition bout since retiring from pro boxing (Getty Images)

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Floyd Mayweather's fight with Don Moore has been cancelled following the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates.

Mayweather was due to face Moore on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel in Dubai on Saturday. The contest would have marked Mayweather's third exhibition fight since retiring from professional boxing in 2017.

Following the death of Sheikh Khalifa, the UAE will observe 40 days of morning – beginning on Friday – with all work in the country's public and private sectors cancelled for the first three days of that period.

As a result, Mayweather’s fight with Moore has been postponed until further notice. Bout organisers Global Titans Fight Series confirmed the news on Friday.

Mayweather, 45, shared a picture of Sheikh Khalifa on Instagram on Friday, along with the caption: "Sending my condolences to the entire UAE. RIP Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed."

American Mayweather retired from pro boxing with a perfect record of 50-0 (27 knockouts), while compatriot Moore, 42, is also unbeaten at 18-0 (12 KOs) but has not fought since 2016.

Mayweather's final professional bout was a 10th-round stoppage of UFC icon Conor McGregor in August 2017.

"Money" then returned to the ring in December 2018 and defeated kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa in the first round of their exhibition fight, before going the distance with YouTuber Logan Paul last June.

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