Meet Don Moore, the man aiming to beat old sparring partner Floyd Mayweather after being mentored by icon’s uncle Roger

DON MOORE is ready to use everything he learned from Floyd Mayweather’s uncle to beat The Best Ever himself when they fight next month.

Moore, 42, was once one of Mayweather’s most trusted sparring partners and was also mentored by the boxing legend’s uncle Roger.

But on May 14 their relationship goes up a notch to a sensational exhibition bout on top of a Dubai hotel helipad 700ft above sea level.

It is a far cry from the secret sparring sessions the pair had in Mayweather’s now-famous Las Vegas boxing club.

But Moore’s friendship with the former five-weight world champion actually stretches back to their teens, while both were amateurs.

The pair first met at a tournament in Michigan, where future Olympian Mayweather was without an opponent.

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Moore offered to box the highly-touted prospect but the bout never materialised.

It was there he met Mayweather’s closest confidants and sparked what turned out to be a lifetime relationship.

In an exclusive interview with SunSport, Moore said: “We never did fight, but his father was there, his family was there, Roger, everybody was there.

“I remember that, so the history has been there.”

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Mayweather would go on to win bronze at the 1996 Olympics before embarking on an iconic prizefighting career.

And during the height of that, in 2012, he called on an old friend for sparring.

What Moore did not know is that it would introduce him to Mayweather’s uncle and coach Roger.

The two would hit it off and become a team – with Moore being taught what he calls “the blueprint” on how to beat Mayweather.

He revealed: “When I first walked into the gym, I was there to spar Floyd and Roger Mayweather was looking at me.

“I’m over there getting ready, getting prepared and I got in the ring with Floyd – Roger was on Floyd’s side and Roger was looking and paying attention to me.

“After we sparred, he came over to me and said, ‘Man, you got a trainer?’

“I said not at the time, and he said, ‘Listen, I’m going to work with you, I’m going to train you’.

“He put me under his wing and I was with him ever since, years and years.

“And day in day out, he taught me everything I need to know to have the blueprint to honestly, truthfully, do what I have to do to perform and be victorious on May 14th.”

Over 21 years, 50 times they tried and 50 times they failed to put an elusive loss on Mayweather’s record.

But no opponent in history before Moore had as much experience in the ring with the American before actually fighting him.

And following hundreds of practice rounds, Moore is ready to perform when it counts, using tactics taught by Mayweather’s own uncle.

He said: “Those sparring sessions, every time we sparred, everybody was gripped, they couldn’t wait to see it.

“It was always competitive, Floyd always had a problem with me and as everybody knows, Roger trained Floyd, but he also trained Don.

“So the same training Roger was putting into Floyd, he put into this young man too. It’s just that Floyd was in the limelight and I wasn’t.

“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 – right now it’s my opportunity to show all the ass I’ve been kicking from back then.

“I’m not just no sparring partner, I’m a fighter.”

Mayweather, 45, officially retired in 2017 after beating UFC superstar Conor McGregor, 33, in ten rounds of their crossover spectacle.

Almost one year earlier, Moore would fight for the final time in his unbeaten 19-bout career, which included 12 KOs but no major titles.

And there is no great mystery behind his boxing departure, other than raising his daughter, Amena, 21, son Don Jr, 19 and baby girl.

Moore said: “I took time out to spend time with my kids, to be a family man, to be a parent.

“Inside or outside of boxing, you still have to be a parent.

“I’m a gym rat, I’ll be in the gym all the time, that’s all, you’ve got to be a parent first.”

But with their dad on the verge of sharing the ring with one of the best to ever do it, in front of just 20 VIP fans, they have been left proud as can be.

Moore beamed: “They’re so proud. It’s goosebumps, I talk to them everyday.

“They mean so much to me and they’re just giving me that energy. Families love it so amazing.”

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Moore is now trained by coach Kenny Johnson but still remembers the wise words of Roger Mayweather, who died in 2020.

And it leaves him ready to hand Roger’s nephew a shock blow in their extraordinary exhibition – but you will have to see it to believe it.

Moore said: “I got the blueprint on how to beat Floyd Mayweather. I can’t tell it to nobody, you’ve got to tune in May 14th.”

Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk