Boxing champ vs UFC champ? White in talks for Shields vs Nunes

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Boxing champ Claressa Shields will also be in attendance at UFC 245 this weekend. Claressa Shields is undefeated in boxing, but the two division boxing champ apparently has her eyes set on a new challe…

Claressa Shields v Szilvia Szaados

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Boxing champ Claressa Shields will also be in attendance at UFC 245 this weekend.

Claressa Shields is undefeated in boxing, but the two division boxing champ apparently has her eyes set on a new challenge. After saying in October that she wants to make her MMA debut in 2020, Dana White has now revealed that he has spoken to Shields’ camp about the move.

Interestingly enough, they’re seemingly discussing for Shields to potentially go straight to a bout with possibly the greatest female MMA fighter of all time in Amanda Nunes. White says Shields will also be in attendance this weekend to watch the UFC double champ fight.

“Claressa Shields is coming,” White told BT Sport (HT: MMA Fighting). “She’ll be here Saturday to watch the fight. She’s coming to watch the fight, and I will be honest with you, Claressa Shields’ people and I have talked. I don’t know, we’ll see. We’ve talked.

“I know they’re both interested in it, too. We’ll see how this whole thing plays out. We have a lot of respect for her, too, and she’s going to come to the fight and should be fun.”

Nunes has since responded, saying Shields wouldn’t have a chance in MMA.

“We can get a girl from low rank right now in 135 and put her to fight. [Shields] wouldn’t pass the 1st round,” Nunes told TMZ.

Nunes also said that she isn’t interested in taking a boxing match against her.

“I’m not a boxer, I’m an MMA fighter,” Nunes said. “If I wanted to be a boxer, I would be.”

The 24-year-old Shields is currently 9-0 in boxing, and last fought at 160 lbs. She has served as a sparring partner for Cris Cyborg, including for her title bout against Nunes.