Abu Dhabi to host Floyd Mayweather and Anderson Silva exhibition fights

Four-bout card, headlined by former five-weight world champion Mayweather, is to be staged at Etihad Arena on Saturday night

Floyd Mayweather before his bout with Don Moore in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Floyd Mayweather during the press conference in Abu Dhabi. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Floyd Mayweather before his bout with Don Moore. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Floyd Mayweather with Anderson Silva. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Don Moore before his bout with Floyd Mayweather. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Floyd Mayweather before his bout with Don Moore. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Floyd Mayweather before his bout with Don Moore. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Floyd Mayweather with Don Moore and Anderson Silva. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Floyd Mayweather before his bout with Don Moore. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Floyd Mayweather before his bout with Don Moore. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Don Moore before his bout with Floyd Mayweather. Chris Whiteoak / The National

An exhibition boxing event headlined by Floyd Mayweather will now take place in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

The four-bout card, headlined by former five-weight world champion Mayweather and featuring also UFC great Anderson Silva, is to be staged at Etihad Arena on Saturday night.

The event, organised in conjunction with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and part of their “Summer Like You Mean It” campaign, is entitled “Abu Dhabi Unity Boxing”. Doors open at 8pm, with tickets available online from Friday. Prices begin at Dh175.

The card is the same as the one scheduled originally for the postponed Global Titans Fight Series event, which was slated for Dubai last weekend. The show, set for the Burj Al Arab helipad, was cancelled following the death of UAE president, Sheikh Khalifa.

Mayweather, who retired undefeated from professional boxing in 2017 with a 50-0 record, will face former sparring partner Don Moore (18-0-1), with Silva taking on UAE Warriors lightweight champion Bruno Machado. Machado is a long-time Abu Dhabi resident.

The bill also includes a bout between former two-time world champion boxer Badou Jack and Egypt’s Hany Atiyo, while former WBC female lightweight champion Delfine Persoon meets Frenchwoman Elhem Mekhaled for the vacant WBC silver belt.

Etihad Arena, which opened officially in January last year, has hosted a number of high-profile combat sports events already, including UFC 267 in October. The Yas Island venue will again stage the world’s lead mixed martial arts promotion later this year, with UFC 281 on October 22.

Meanwhile, Global Titans announced on Friday that their inaugural Dubai event will take place on October 15, on the Burj Al Arab helipad. Its card has yet to be confirmed.