After Claressa Shields triumphed over Danielle Perkins to claim the first women’s undisputed heavyweight championship in her third weight division, her list of potential boxing opponents has noticeably dwindled. During the predicament, the GWOAT even entertained the idea of MMA as a new avenue. In the midst of the chaos, Sheilds has decided to speak on her long-running feud with her former friend Alycia Baumgardner.
A fight between the two undisputed champions is surely enticing, and fans would definitely be on board with the idea, if not for the massive weight difference between the two. But, a few months ago, Shields dismissed the idea of facing Baumgardner, claiming that The Bomb isn’t someone she would even “consider to fight.” However, as the undisputed super featherweight champion signed a new deal with MVP, it looks like Shields is reconsidering her stance. Though she has set a particular condition for the matchup.
Claressa Shields refuses to play second fiddle to Amanda Serrano
During a recent FightHype TV interview following the Mikaela Mayer-Sandy Ryan press conference, Shields reflected on Baumgardner’s new promotional contract with MVP. She expressed genuine happiness for the Ohio native. However, Shields was firm—she’d never join hands with Jake Paul’s promotion. Her reason? She refuses to play second fiddle to anyone.
The 30-year-old explained that a match with any MVP fighter is out of the question, at least for now because most of the time it will be on the undercard of an Amanda Serrano fight, possibly against Katie Taylor. The interviewer quickly followed up, “If they make a big offer to be the main event with Alycia what kind of weight would it have to be?” the interviewer asked, probing if the GWOAT might reconsider if given the chance to headline an event.
It looks like Shields will be on board with that arrangement. However, she made it clear that she won’t go under 154 lbs to fight Baumgardner. The Flint native started her career in the middleweight and super middleweight division and has fought down at light middleweight only twice, so it makes sense for her to not go below 154 lbs. “Alycia coming at 54? Because that’s the only place that I’m going,” she stated firmly.
The three-division undisputed champion is even ready to fight at a higher catchweight. She’s open to 160, 168, or even 175 pounds. But dropping to 147? That would require a very hefty paycheck from Jake Paul. “I can go to 54, I can go to 60 or 68, 75 but 47? Like I said if they not coming with like the big bag to where I got to lose my big old booty I’m not doing that,” she declared strongly.
When Taylor-Serrano fought on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard, the duo became the highest-paid female fighters. Surely, to lure Claressa Shields to fight at 147 lbs, MVP would have to pay a similar amount. And for her part, Alycia Baumgardner has also made her stance clear.
Baumgardner vs. Shields: The weight problem
Last year, Alycia Baumgardner came after a year-long lay-off to face Delfine Persoon in September. Ahead of the bout, ‘The Bomb’ declared, “I want the super fights. I want to showcase the highest level of skills and pedigree and a woman in business,” to BoxingScene. She named Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor as dream opponents. Her new deal with MVP will surely push her closer to that goal.
147 ! https://t.co/cvgZU7IXYm
— Alycia Baumgardner (@alyciambaum) December 15, 2023
However, what caught everyone’s eye was Baumgardner’s open challenge to Claressa Shields. “I agreed to fight Claressa at 147 pounds. She agreed to it. There is proof that she said this,” the 30-year-old stated referencing the tweet made by Claressa Shields back in 2023, which read, “P4P #1 wins at any weight class. I’d 100% fight @alyciambaum at 147 or 154 or 160 or 168 long as it’s a Belt or multiple belts on the line. You know I’m not hard to make a fight with.”
Evidently, GWOAT’s priority has shifted since moving to heavyweight and Baumgardner thinks the same. “Claressa is at a stage of her life where she wants things to be easier for her. That’s why she moved up to heavyweight,” she added. Baumgardner made her own stance clear—she won’t go above 147 lbs i.e. welterweight, as it will be on unfair grounds. “We can fight at 147, like I stated. If she don’t want it, she don’t want it. Competition is at the 130-to-147 range, and that’s where I plan to reign at. Right now, it doesn’t make sense to go up to 154 pounds,” she stated.
While this matchup is still possible, it will require Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian to splash a lot of cash, something they’ve never shied away from. However, the bigger question looms: will they actually make the move? Given Claressa Shields’ heated rivalry with Paul over the past few months, the outcome is anyone’s guess.
If the fight does happen, who is your pick? Let us know your thoughts down below.
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