Floyd Mayweather has thanked his undercard for being patient after a "rollercoaster" week ahead of his boxing return.
The legendary 50-0 boxer was supposed to fight atop the Burj Al Arab on a helipad last weekend, but was forced to move the entire event from Dubai to Abu Dhabi on just day's notice after the passing of the President of the UAE.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan died at the age of 73 last week. As a result, a 40-day mourning period including three days of work suspensions were called that saw last weekend's event postponed.
And Mayweather has now detailed a turbulent week that saw the show moved from Dubai to Yas Island, around an hour away. Now, the Etihad Arena will play host to his latest boxing return when he faces Moore atop a card that also features Anderson Silva, Badou Jack and Delfine Persoon.
"It's been a little rollercoaster ride for all of the fighters," Mayweather said at a press conference following yesterday's weigh-in. "I want to commend the fighters on just being patient. These types of things happen in life, we go through ups, we go through downs but we stand strong, stand together and we made it happen.
"We're going to make it happen and I just want to say thank you to everyone that's here. I want to say thank you to everyone in the whole UAE for having patience and all of the fighters up here who are unbelievable and the sponsors."
There had been rumours that Mayweather would face YouTuber Rashed 'Money Kicks' Belhasa in his first bout in the UAE, before he eventually settled on Moore. He and the undefeated Moore used to train together, but will now square off in a short exhibition after Silva, Jack and Persoon all compete in sanctioned bouts.
Are you excited for Floyd Mayweather's comeback bout tonight with Don Moore? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"I really want to say that I appreciate you all," Mayweather continued. "This fight was supposed to happen in February, then March, then April and now May, it's been a long time. I'm just glad we all had patience and now we can go out there and do what we do, which is entertain.
"We're here, let's have fun and be positive, we'll make the best of the situation and go out there and entertain the people. We'll give the people around the world what they want to see, as well as the people in the UAE, and that's good fights!"
Mayweather promised last year after this exhibition bout with Logan Paul that he would no longer be getting in the ring, even for non-sanctioned fights. But he will be back to face Moore, who is looking for a fight with Jake Paul if he can win this meeting.
