Floyd Mayweather has confirmed he wants to push ahead with plans to stage his exhibition fight this Saturday - or he will not fight at all.
The boxing legend was set to face Don Moore last weekend at the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, but the event was cancelled after the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed. Mayweather initially claimed the fight had been rescheduled for this coming Saturday, but organisers released a conflicting statement claiming that the event could be delayed until October.
Mayweather has now reportedly issued an ultimatum to the event's organisers by stating: "Either I box Saturday or I don't come." The Coca Cola Arena, which had been due to host a boxing event this weekend regardless, is expected to stage the bout.
Muslim tradition calls for a 40-day mourning period in the UAE after the president's passing, with a three-day work suspension preventing the fight from taking place last weekend. All of the fighters who were involved on the card remain close to the venue except Delfine Persoon who caught a flight home to Belgium after hearing the news.
However she now plans to fly back to compete on the card with her promoter Filiep Tampere delivering an update on the situation. “They tell me that the camp will definitely go on one hundred percent," Tampere said. "But I'm not so sure. Who knows, maybe we'll be there and Mekhaled won't be there.
"It's really not normal. Hopefully it will be okay, because it would be a shame if Delfine lost that unique opportunity. Fortunately, we don't have to start working again until Monday."
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It is now anticipated that the event will proceed on Saturday, with Mayweather headlining the event against sparring partner Moore. UFC legend Anderson Silva is expected to remain as the co-feature on the card when he takes on Bruno Machado. Mayweather has claimed he could earn up to nine figures for his delayed boxing showcase against Moore and the undefeated star even revealed he was paid $1m to attend a press conference to promote the event.
His upcoming rival Moore worked with Mayweather throughout his career including when the pair held an open sparring session in 2015. The 42-year-old believes he is capable of giving Mayweather problems having worked with the legend's uncle Jeff throughout his time in the sport.
“Those sparring sessions, every time we sparred, everybody was gripped, they couldn’t wait to see it," Moore told The Sun. “It was always competitive, Floyd always had a problem with me and as everybody knows, Roger trained Floyd, but he also trained Don. I’m the underdog and I’ve already put in my hard work with Floyd, we’ve already sparred rounds, punch after punch. I went over and beyond the call of duty to prepare him for other fights."
