Floyd Mayweather gave an exhibition of a jabbing masterclass as he gave opponent Don Moore a torrid eight rounds in their fight in Abu Dhabi.
The fight had originally been pencilled in for last Saturday but the death of the UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan forced it to be postponed owing to a period of national mourning.
Having originally been noted down for Dubai and notably on a helipad at the top of the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, the fight ended up taking place in Abu Dhabi.
Floyd Mayweather (left) enjoyed his time in the ring with Don Moore, appearing to taunt him
The event itself saw three fights on the undercard before the main event when Mayweather clashed with Moore.
So often with boxing the circus that comes with the fight is often laughable, and it was no different here. Technical troubles, we were told by those broadcasting from the Etihad Arena in the UAE, meant that for over an hour on the PPV stream the only pictures being broadcast were loops of Abu Dhabi’s tourism board’s adverts.
When the circus did eventually subside for the boxing, on came Moore followed by Mayweather is was accompanied by his typically large entourage while the fitting song ‘The Money Team’ by Friyie blasted out in the background.
The 50-0 boxer gave Don Moore an exhibition in how to jab over the eight rounds
Mayweather eventually reached the ring and when he did you remember that aside from some of the nonsense boxing throws up, it is a joy watching this master at work even if his attitude towards the fight was questionable.
He started round one by assessing his opponent and standing off in typical early round fashion.
That was about as good as it got for Moore, who, despite this being an exhibition bout, was given a torrid time by his opponent.
Round two brought exemplary footwork and the bringing out of his left hand jab combinations which Moore struggled to deal with throughout. When Moore tried to offer the same in a rare moment where Mayweather looked to have left himself open in the third, he simply ducked under the oncoming glove.
Rounds four and five saw Mayweather really begin to turn the screw in a manner that became so synonymous with his career.
By the sixth it was clear Moore was struggling and his increasing tendency to grab hold of Mayweather gave him a look of desperation. Mayweather had a grin on his face throughout, a telling signal of the difference in fortunes for the two men.
Floyd Mayweather (left) and Anderson Silva shared top billing in Abu Dhabi
By the seventh and eighth Moore had fallen to the canvass, not directly through a Mayweather punch but more the barrage of jabs that the American had unleashed on him from about the second round.
This being an exhibition no result was declared, but as Mayweather iterated in the build up to this fight: 16 minutes in the ring for that amount of money, it’s a no-brainer for him to carry on throwing combinations. He’s still got it.
Meanwhile, on the undercard Anderson Silva and Bruno Machado fought in an exciting exhibition while Delfine Persoon won the WBC silver super-featherweight belt, beating Elhem Mekhaled.
In the first bout of the night, Badou Jack beat Hany Atiyo via knockout only 46 seconds into their fight.