Claressa Shields is the self-styled ‘GWOAT’ of women’s boxing, and says she now wants to be paid like it as she enters free agency.
The two-time Olympic champion, who claimed gold at London in 2012 and Rio in 2016, improved to 17-0 in the professional ranks last Saturday with another convincing victory.
The 30-year-old from Flint, Michigan was highly impressive as she pounded her way to a unanimous decision victory over Lani Daniels to successfully defend her undisputed world heavyweight title. The bout was streamed live globally by DAZN.
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Shields has become a big name in the UK as well as the US in recent years, notably after defeating British star Savannah Marshall in a massive grudge match in London in 2022. That avenged her only ever defeat in a boxing ring, as an amateur way back in 2012.
Shields looking for best opportunities
Claressa is right at the top of her game, and the sport, but she still believes she should be earning more money for what she does. Now a free agent, she is ready to seek the biggest opportunities and the biggest deal on the market. One potential matchup is a money-spinning showdown vs Laila Ali – daughter of ‘The Greatest’ Muhammad.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani, she said: “Listen, I’ve been with Salita since I was 21, and now I’m 30. And I had a great working relationship with Salita Promotions, with Dmitry. He’s not just my promoter, but he’s a friend of mine. And we’ve done great business together, and we’ve grown together.
“So I’m not saying that I’m not willing to do more business with him, it’s just more of I wanna see what is the best opportunity for me? Like, I’ve been boxing for a long time, and everyone knows that I haven’t got my best paydays.”
Shields says she has a clear view on what her purses need to be in the coming months and years.
“I believe that I should be getting paid 5, 10, 15 million a fight. The past couple years, I’ve been able to get paid a million, a million-five, a million-eight. Now it’s like, how do I get that 2, you know? 3, 5, 10 million, y’know? Who has the best deal?
“And I’ve also already beat the best already. So, you know, when I talk about who else is there to fight, it’s not my fault if these girls – I beat ’em early. But now the girls who are now champions, it’s like hey, you know, if they’re willing to pay me for these big fights, I’m willing to fight whoever -as always. It just has to make sense. So, I really just wanted my options to be honest.”
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