Rashed Belhasa vs. Floyd Mayweather: What Happened?

In early 2022, one of boxing’s biggest names appeared linked to one of social media’s most recognizable faces. Reports suggested that Floyd Mayweather, the retired five-division world champion, could face Rashed “Money Kicks” Belhasa in an exhibition bout in Dubai. The story generated widespread international coverage — but the fight never happened. Here’s what actually took place.

How the rumor started

On January 4, 2022, Floyd Mayweather announced plans for an exhibition fight scheduled for February 20, 2022, to be held on a helipad atop Dubai’s Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel. At the time, Mayweather had not confirmed an opponent, but multiple outlets, citing a Daily Mail report, indicated that Belhasa was the leading candidate. Mayweather himself addressed the speculation directly, telling reporters at a Dubai media event that he had spoken with James McNair about Money Kicks and liked what he saw of the young influencer’s rise.

Why Belhasa made sense as an opponent

Several factors fueled the pairing. Belhasa was already a known quantity in Dubai’s growing influencer-boxing scene, having made his amateur debut the previous year at Social Knockout. He also brought enormous local star power as the son of a prominent Emirati business family, along with millions of social media followers built as “Money Kicks” — an appealing combination for organizers looking to draw a strong Dubai crowd. Mayweather noted specifically that fighting a local personality would create a special atmosphere for the event.

This wasn’t Mayweather’s first influencer fight

The Belhasa rumor followed directly on the heels of Mayweather’s June 2021 exhibition bout against YouTuber Logan Paul, which went the full eight rounds without an official winner declared. That fight helped establish Mayweather’s pattern of taking high-profile, high-paying exhibition bouts against social media personalities rather than professional boxers, making a follow-up bout against another influencer a logical next step in the eyes of promoters.

What actually happened instead

The proposed February 20, 2022, date came and went without the Mayweather-Belhasa fight materializing, and no official contract or fight announcement was ever confirmed by either side. Mayweather’s next confirmed exhibition instead took place on May 21, 2022, against undefeated boxer Don Moore at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, billed as “The Showcase in the Skies of Dubai.” Later that year, on November 13, 2022, Mayweather also fought YouTuber Deji Olatunji at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, winning by sixth-round TKO.

Belhasa, meanwhile, went a different route entirely: rather than an exhibition against a boxing legend, he turned professional a few months later, making his pro debut on August 20, 2022, against Traycho Georgiev on the undercard of Usyk vs. Joshua 2 in Jeddah. He lost that bout by split decision.

Why the story still gets searched

Even though the fight never happened, the Mayweather-Belhasa rumor remains one of the most-referenced chapters of Belhasa’s boxing story, largely because of Mayweather’s massive name recognition and the novelty of the proposed helipad setting. It also marked an early turning point in Belhasa’s public profile as a boxer rather than purely an influencer, setting the stage for his actual ring debut and eventual professional bout.

For the full picture of what Belhasa did instead of fighting Mayweather, see our Rashed Belhasa Boxing Record and Rashed Belhasa’s Boxing Journey articles, which cover his real fights in detail. For a breakdown of the approach he’s brought to the ring instead, see Rashed Belhasa’s Fighting Style.