Tag: Claressa Shields

Claressa Shields Will Work With Henry Cejudo Ahead Of MMA Return

Claressa Shields will have some big time help in her preparation for her return to mixed martial arts (MMA). Shields recently spoke with Mirror Fighting and discussed her eventual return to MMA competition. The boxing star said she’s looking to improve her ground game, and is gearing up to travel to Phoenix, Arizona to work…

Continue Reading Claressa Shields Will Work With Henry Cejudo Ahead Of MMA Return at MMA News.

Claressa Shields will have some big time help in her preparation for her return to mixed martial arts (MMA).

Shields recently spoke with Mirror Fighting and discussed her eventual return to MMA competition.

The boxing star said she’s looking to improve her ground game, and is gearing up to travel to Phoenix, Arizona to work on it with former dual-weight UFC champion, and Olympic gold medalist, Henry Cejudo.

“I am going to go to train with Henry Cejudo in Arizona and spend some time there,” Shields said. “I’ll get him to improve my wrestling and jiu-jitsu skills.

“Just becoming a better MMA fighter, there are a few things I want to sharpen up on. Somebody asked me ‘if you had to create the perfect fighter, who would you create?’

“Of course, I’d keep myself, but I would add Cejudo, Kamaru Usman, Jon Jones and Holly Holm. All of them have good attributes, but Cejudo is great.

Henry Cejudo
Henry Cejudo

“He’s a two-weight UFC champion and Olympic champion in wrestling. He mastered MMA so who better to work with than him?”

Shields is currently undefeated in her boxing career with a record of 12-0. She holds the WBF, WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring female middleweight titles. Shields made her MMA debut in June of last year, defeating Brittney Elkin via third-round TKO under the Professional Fighters League (PFL) banner.

In her most recent bout, Shields was bested by opponent Abigail Montes this past October via split decision. She’s looking to bounce back from her first defeat with a big performance.

Improving her ground game with the likes of a grappling maestro the caliber of Cejudo should certainly help.

What do you think about Claressa Shields working with Henry Cejudo ahead of her MMA return? Let us know in the comments!

Continue Reading Claressa Shields Will Work With Henry Cejudo Ahead Of MMA Return at MMA News.

Claressa Shields Believes Savannah Marshall Faking Arm Injury

Claressa Shields believes Savannah Marshall is faking her arm injury ahead of their contest. Shields and Marshall are due to meet inside the squared circle next, however, the fight has been pushed back to September after Marshall apparently suffered an arm injury. As a result, Marshall has been forced to undergo a “small operation.” However,…

Continue Reading Claressa Shields Believes Savannah Marshall Faking Arm Injury at MMA News.

Claressa Shields believes Savannah Marshall is faking her arm injury ahead of their contest.

Shields and Marshall are due to meet inside the squared circle next, however, the fight has been pushed back to September after Marshall apparently suffered an arm injury. As a result, Marshall has been forced to undergo a “small operation.”

However, Shields doesn’t seem to be buying that excuse. In a series of Tweets, Shields points out that Marshall isn’t wearing a cast in recent photos, leading her to believe she’s not being honest about the injury.

“Y’all talking bout Marshmallow had surgery on her arm… where tf is the arm sleeve, the cast, SOMETHING! This bum faking an arm injury! It don’t even matter! I’m F’ing her up! All y’all Marshall fans gonna be silent! Forever! #GWOAT ”

The 27-year-old Shields and 31-year-old Marshall have fought before, prior to their pro days, when Marshall bested Shields at the Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2012. With that win, Marshall is the only person to ever defeat Shields at any level of boxing competition.

It’s a loss Shields is likely eager to get back. Since going pro, both women are undefeated, with Shields amassing a record of 12-0, while Marshall also sits at 12-0. Shields holds the WBF, WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring female middleweight titles.

Marshall currently reigns as the WBO middleweight champion. Shields has expressed frustration with the current situation regarding Marshall’s injury delaying their fight. She has even suggested going back to mixed martial arts (MMA) as a result.

However, Marshall’s promoter, Ben Shalom, has stressed the fight will happen, urging Shields to be patient.

“Savannah had to have a small operation that unexpectedly required her to need a few weeks of recovery,” Shalom said (via GiveMeSport).

“That meant, obviously, that July was too early, which means that we’ll just go back four or five weeks.

“Hopefully Claressa is going to be sensible and accept that both of them need to be fit and ready for what is the biggest fight in both of their careers and one of the biggest fights in the sport.”

What do you think of Claressa Shields suggesting Marshall isn’t being honest about her injury? Do you agree? Sound off in the comments!

Continue Reading Claressa Shields Believes Savannah Marshall Faking Arm Injury at MMA News.

Pro Fighters React To Footage Of Mike Tyson Attacking Airline Passenger

Mike TysonSeveral professional fighters have shared their thoughts after footage emerged this week of former boxing world champion, Mike Tyson involved in a physical altercation with an airline passenger during a flight – leaving the man bloodied. Mike Tyson, acknowledged as one of the most devastating and daunting strikers in the history of professional boxing, appears […]

Mike Tyson

Several professional fighters have shared their thoughts after footage emerged this week of former boxing world champion, Mike Tyson involved in a physical altercation with an airline passenger during a flight – leaving the man bloodied.

Mike Tyson, acknowledged as one of the most devastating and daunting strikers in the history of professional boxing, appears to have become agitated by an airline passenger on his flight – sitting behind him, who appears to pester him for an interaction.

In video footage released by TMZ, Mike Tyson eventually strikes the passenger multiple times to the face and head, leaving him bloodied as the Jetblue plane attempts to depart from San Francisco International Airport upon arrival in Florida. \

Prior to the footage of Tyson striking the individual over the back of his chair, the male is seen speaking to Tyson would is sitting quietly – and waving his arms in quite animated fashion.

Mike Tyson is alleged to have been struck by a water bottle before the altercation

With authorities currently investigating the incident, a spokesperson for former world champion, Tyson released an official statement, detailing how Tyson had been “harassed” by the passenger, who had also allegedly thrown a bottle of water at Tyson.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a fight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat,” The statement read. 

With Tyson receiving plaudits largely for his actions against the passenger, several fighters and prominent figures in combat sports shared their thoughts on the former world champion’s response to the incident.

“Hey dummies, for future reference, this is how you stay alive when bumping into @MikeTyson on an airplane,” UFC president, Dana White tweeted – accompanied with a video of him switching seats with Tyson on a plane. 

“If you’re being heckled in public like Mike Tyson was you should legally get a hall pass to beat someone’s ass,” Jake Paul tweeted. “This generation thinks they can get away with anything.” 

“Mike Tyson punched dude up on the plane…. Not gonna lie that sh*t was satisfying to see,” Claressa Shields tweeted. “People think trolling celebrities is cool, it ain’t. Internet got people to (sic) comfortable disrespecting folks & not getting hit in the mouth for it (shoulders shrugging emoji).” 

“Drunk, annoying and rude,” Kelvin Gastelum tweeted. “Pls (Please) don’t be like this guy folks. I’ve been around MIke (Tyson) and he’s an extremely calm person these days. This guy must’ve really brought it out of him.” 

The San Francisco Police Department released a statement confirming that they had detained two subjects in relation to the incident involving Tyson, detailing how the subject who had been treated for “non-life-threatening” injuries had elected to cooperate further in a police investigation.

“Officers arrived and detained two subjects that were believed to be involved in the incident,” The statement read. “One subject was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries. That subject provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation. Both subjects were released.” (H/T MMA Junkie)

Shields Faults “Egos” For Other Boxers’ Lack Of Success In MMA Challenge

Decorated boxer Claressa Shields has many accomplishments, including being a boxing champion to have competed and win an MMA match. The list of accolades continues to grow for “T. Rex.” By age 26, Claressa Shields has taken home Olympic gold twice, won numerous boxing championships across weight classes, and now sports a win in the…

Continue Reading Shields Faults “Egos” For Other Boxers’ Lack Of Success In MMA Challenge at MMA News.

Decorated boxer Claressa Shields has many accomplishments, including being a boxing champion to have competed and win an MMA match.

The list of accolades continues to grow for “T. Rex.” By age 26, Claressa Shields has taken home Olympic gold twice, won numerous boxing championships across weight classes, and now sports a win in the PFL.

Claressa Shields
Claressa Shields, Photo Credit: Stephanie Trapp

Shields won her MMA debut by TKOing Brittney Elkin, then she went on to her next match a few months later.

Though the undefeated boxer fought hard, she took the first loss of her professional fighting career via split decision against Abigail Montes.

She still considers herself “The Greatest Woman Of All Time” and prides herself on stepping up to the challenge of MMA. Currently a lone wolf in her acts, Shields blames “egos” for other boxers not following suit.

“Ego, men have a lot of egos, a lot of boxers have egos. They want to be great at what they’re great at and the minute they’re faced with something uncomfortable or abnormal, they don’t want to do it,” Shields explains to SunSport.

Many boxers tried their hand at mixed martial arts. Famous names in the realm of boxing such as James Toney, and Ricardo Mayorga made an effort in the sport. While revered boxing champions, they both met failure in their MMA debuts and retired from the sport.

Notably, former boxer and UFC veteran LaVerne Clark saw success in MMA. He won his UFC debut, and from 1998 to 1999, won 9 fights in a row, mostly by TKO.

In recent years, no other boxing champions besides Shields has made an attempt at mixed martial arts. It’s been over 10 years since fellow boxing legend Holly Holm set out on her MMA journey, in which she became UFC women’s bantamweight champion.

Ten facts about Holly Holm
Holly Holm, Image Credit: Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Image

Undoubtedly, some fighters fear their perfect records being tarnished by a loss. However, Shields plans to take her MMA career all the way to the top.

A championship belt in MMA may be the toughest challenge of her combat career, but she refuses to back down.

“It’s unprecedented, it’s never been done before and that’s what people want to see, extraordinary things. And the fact that I’m willing to put my reputation, my record, put everything on the line to achieve the PFL world title, it shows my character,” Calaressa continues.

From the Olympics to boxing to MMA, Shields proves her tenacity is unmatched.

She currently dominates women’s lightweight boxing; undefeated at 12-0. And on February 5, she rebounded from her MMA loss with a unanimous decision boxing win against Ema Kozin.

Shields plans to reappear in the PFL in 2023 to continue her legacy. Perhaps Shields will start a trend of professional boxers turned successful MMA fighters.

Are you excited for Claressa Shields’s next MMA bout?

Continue Reading Shields Faults “Egos” For Other Boxers’ Lack Of Success In MMA Challenge at MMA News.

Claressa Shields Revisits Then Drops Jake Paul Beef While Giving Him Credit

Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields spoke on conflict with Jake Paul and seemed willing to drop their beef. Since 2016, Claressa “T. Rex” Shields has dominated women’s boxing. She is the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic medals and has won multiple world championships in three separate weight classes. 12-0 in her professional boxing […]

Continue Reading Claressa Shields Revisits Then Drops Jake Paul Beef While Giving Him Credit at MMA News.

Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields spoke on conflict with Jake Paul and seemed willing to drop their beef.

Since 2016, Claressa “T. Rex” Shields has dominated women’s boxing. She is the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic medals and has won multiple world championships in three separate weight classes.

Claressa Shields
Claressa Shields, Photo Credit:  STEPHANIE TRAPP/ TRAPPFOTOS/ SHOWTIME

12-0 in her professional boxing career, Claressa Shields is easily a revered champion. And in 2021, the superstar made a switch to mixed martial arts.

She won her MMA debut against Brittney Elkin by TKO at PFL 4 last June. However, later in the year, Shields lost via split decision against Abigail Montes, and immediately following that loss, Jake Paul had a few choice words.

“The only beef I have with Jake Paul is don’t ever disrespect me, you know what I’m sayin’? Like, he tried to kick me when I was down and also going into a new sport,” Shields said in an interview with TMZ Sports. “I lost a split decision. I didn’t get submitted, I didn’t get knocked out, I didn’t get beat up, it was a split. And I’m also brand new at MMA. And when he made that comment, calling me a loser and stuff, that’s what really made me want to fight him.

“And then it’s like, you can’t call me a loser because you don’t box better than me and you damn sure don’t do MMA better than me. You don’t do nothing better than me. That’s it. To kick somebody while they’re down but never give them their props when they’re up, that was kinda wack to me and that’s why I didn’t have no respect for him,” Shields explains on TMZ Sports.

But their beef between them did not start there. Claressa Shields claims undefeated Jake Paul would be an easy opponent for her and requested a sparring match. She later threatened to sue Paul and his team for claiming that she had requested to be on Paul’s undercard.

Claressa Shields & Jake Pau Squash Beef

On January 7, Paul took to Twitter to squash their disagreement.

“Let’s put this behind us and work together to continue to build women’s boxing,” Paul tweeted.

Recently, Jake Paul helped promote a highly anticipated boxing match between undisputed champions Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor, which Shields expressed an appreciation for and thus met Paul halfway in his olive-branch extension.

“But now, I just wish him the best,” Shields said. “I wish him the best. If he ever wanna spar, it’s always up in the air. It’s always an option. Because I do owe him a couple blows,” Shields said half-jokingly. “But other than that, I think what he’s doing for Amanda is great. I think him getting involved in helping the fight with Katie Taylor getting made is great for Amanda, and Katie, and it’s great for women’s boxing. So I appreciate him for that,” Shields continued.

Considering women’s boxing is a high priority for both athletes, perhaps their quarrel can now be swept under the rug.

Do you think this is the end of the Claressa Shields and Jake Paul beef?

Continue Reading Claressa Shields Revisits Then Drops Jake Paul Beef While Giving Him Credit at MMA News.

Claressa Shields Dominates In Boxing Return, Confronts Marshall

Claressa Shields put the rest of the boxing world on notice that she’s here to stay in the ring after a dominant win over Ema Kozin. Shields overwhelmed Kozin from start to finish in her boxing return in the UK, earning a 100-90 unanimous decision victory to move to a 12-0 professional boxing record. The […]

Continue Reading Claressa Shields Dominates In Boxing Return, Confronts Marshall at MMA News.

Claressa Shields put the rest of the boxing world on notice that she’s here to stay in the ring after a dominant win over Ema Kozin.

Shields overwhelmed Kozin from start to finish in her boxing return in the UK, earning a 100-90 unanimous decision victory to move to a 12-0 professional boxing record. The win retained her WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring female middleweight titles.

Just minutes after the fight, Shields walked ringside to confront her rival, Savannah Marshall. She and Marshall competed once before on the amateur scene, with Marshall earning the win.

The two went back-and-forth on the microphone and tempers flared fast and in a hurry at the Motorpoint Arena.

Check out Shields’ and Marshall’s heated exchange below.

It had been nearly a full calendar year since Shields last competed in the ring. She defeated Marie-Eve Dicaire via unanimous decision last March to retain her titles.

In between boxing fights, Shields had been training in MMA and made her professional debut in the PFL in 2021. She competed twice, earning a debut TKO win over Brittney Elkin before falling short against Abigail Montes in an undercard fight at the 2021 PFL Championships.

Shields has called out some of the biggest names in MMA, including Kayla Harrison and Cris “Cyborg” Justino. It’s unclear whether or not Shields will compete in the PFL lightweight tournament season or if she’ll fight in non-tournament bouts.

Marshall is slated to face Femke Hermans next on March 12. With a win, Shields would more than likely be her next opponent, especially after the recent verbal exchange.

Shields defeated Hermans via unanimous decision in 2018.

Do you want to see the rematch between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall next?

Continue Reading Claressa Shields Dominates In Boxing Return, Confronts Marshall at MMA News.