Floyd Mayweather said he will fight again in the UAE later this year after headlining “Abu Dhabi Unity Boxing” at Etihad Arena in the capital on Saturday night.
The former five-weight world champion, who retired undefeated in 2017 following 50 professional bouts, headlined the bill with an eight-round exhibition fight against former sparring partner Don Moore.
The card had originally been scheduled for the inaugural Global Titans event in Dubai last weekend, but was on Friday moved to Abu Dhabi.
Clearly enjoying his time inside the ring, Mayweather was by far the more active of the two, often talking to Moore as he unleashed flurries of punches. The American, 45, also interacted with the crowd during rounds, much to their delight.
However, given it was an exhibition, no scores or winner was announced.
Speaking afterwards inside the ring, Mayweather thanked the UAE for hosting the event, saying he had “waited 26 years for this”.
Mayweather then promised to compete again in the Emirates before the end of the year, although he stopped short of saying against whom, adding: “It’s a secret. I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag right now, but we have an opponent. And we had to choose a place. And the place I choose is the UAE.”
Not long before Mayweather took to the ring, UFC great Anderson Silva got the better of UAE Warriors lightweight champion Bruno Machado – and fellow Brazilian - in another eight-round bout.
Silva, the former UFC middleweight champion and considered by many one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all-time, knocked down Machado right at the end of the fifth round, connecting with a crushing right hook to floor the Abu Dhabi resident following a flurry of punches on the ropes.
To his credit, Machado recovered well to see out the contest, with no scores or winner again announced.
“First of all, I need to say thank you to everybody who came to watch the show,” said Silva, in his third boxing bout since leaving the UFC in 2020. “Everything changed at the last moment, but everyone here worked really hard to make this show.
“This is my second home, and to fight Bruno, a hero in Abu Dhabi, who’s an amazing fighter… he accepted the fight at the last minute.”
As for what’s next, Silva said: “I talked with my jiu-jitsu coach and maybe I'll fight in a jiu-jitsu tournament [here in Abu Dhabi].
The card’s only female bout, the bill’s sole title fight, was won by Belgian Delfine Persoon. The former WBC female lightweight champion defeated a gutsy Elhem Mekhaled to claim the vacant WBC silver belt, prevailing against the previously unbeaten Frenchwoman via unanimous decision. Persoon, now 47-3 in his pro career, came through the back-and-forth, 10-round encounter 97-94, 97-93, 96-94.
In the night’s opening bout, former two-time world champion – and Dubai resident - Badou Jack knocked out Egyptian opponent Hany Atiyo, in only 46 seconds.
Asked immediately afterwards how he was feeling, Jack responded: ‘I haven’t broken a sweat.”
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Factfile on Garbine Muguruza:
Name: Garbine Muguruza (ESP)
World ranking: 15 (will rise to 5 on Monday)
Date of birth: October 8, 1993
Place of birth: Caracas, Venezuela
Place of residence: Geneva, Switzerland
Height: 6ft (1.82m)
Career singles titles: 4
Grand Slam titles: 2 (French Open 2016, Wimbledon 2017)
Career prize money: $13,928,719
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The biog
Date of birth: 27 May, 1995
Place of birth: Dubai, UAE
Status: Single
School: Al Ittihad private school in Al Mamzar
University: University of Sharjah
Degree: Renewable and Sustainable Energy
Hobby: I enjoy travelling a lot, not just for fun, but I like to cross things off my bucket list and the map and do something there like a 'green project'.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The%20Specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
