Former five-division champion Floyd Mayweather inspires a lot of people to do a lot of things, but quitting the sport is a new high. In a recent development, three-weight undisputed champion Claressa Shields has claimed that she will step away from professional boxing. However, it’s not quite what you might expect.
You see, the thing is Shields, who has won two back-to-back Olympic gold Medals for the United States of America, appeared in an interview with Ariel Helwani on The AH Show earlier today. While there, the undefeated boxer spoke about making her pro debut after the Olympics, and not being able to secure a $50K paycheck for it despite what she had accomplished.
That’s when Helwani reminded Shields about the Olympic rule change that allows professional boxers to participate in the games. A while ago, it was revealed that boxing would remain a part of the 2028 Olympics after speculations about its exclusion, which is supposed to happen in Los Angeles. Regardless, upon hearing about the rule change, Shields jumped with joy.
“If they would allow me to go to the Olympics again, I would do it,” Shields said. When asked how long she would need to prepare for the Olympics, she replied, “For the Olympics? Probably about a year.” And as for whether it would be worth quitting professional boxing temporarily for it, Shields was confident in answering, “It’s the Olympics. Why not?”
November 14 2016 Las Vegas Nevada Media Workout Claressa Shields Las Vegas Nevada USA Copyright: xTomxHoganx F55I4237
Despite winning two golds previously, Shields, who has movies made about her two Olympic gold wins, justified a third attempt, stating, “S**t, three times are just as good.” She further suggested that a third Olympic run could help her get better “endorsements and sponsorships.” Not to mention, she would get to test her mettle against “the best girls in the world.”
However, she seemed even more excited about quitting professional boxing temporarily because of Floyd Mayweather. “I would literally cry tears because didn’t Floyd Mayweather fight in the Olympics [in LA],” Shields told Helwani. When confirmed by Helwani that Mayweather competed in the Olympics in LA when it was held there back in 1984, Shields said, “I would love to do that. Honestly, like we need to make this happen.”
While Shields might not have quit professional boxing permanently, she seems to be done with MMA.
Claressa Shields claims she is quitting MMA
Claressa Shields, the five-division boxing world champion and MMA competitor, has announced she is quitting mixed martial arts. Shields compiled a 2-1 MMA record during her three-year stint exclusively with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). However, that journey seems to have come to an end. “MMA is done,” Shields told Ariel Helwani. “It was fun, but I don’t have enough time to train for it. It takes six to eight months just to get ready to defend takedowns.”
California December 6 2018 Los Angeles press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz Claressa Shields Los Angeles California USA Copyright: xTomxHoganx Best13941_Hoganphotos
Shields also revealed, “My family never wanted me to do it… I did it because I wanted to prove a point, and I proved that point—to myself three times.” She later added, “I had aspirations of becoming a PFL MMA world champion and fighting Kayla Harrison or Larissa Pacheco one day… but I just don’t have enough time.” Though her MMA career is done, she will defend her undisputed Heavyweight title against Lani Daniels on July 26, 2025.
Having said that, it appears Claressa Shields is willing to temporarily quit the sport of boxing if she participates in the 2028 Olympics. However, she confirmed that her MMA career is over for real! Would you like to see Shields in the 2028 LA Olympics?
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