Ahead of her own return to the ring, Alycia Baumgardner put her women’s boxing rival, Claressa Shields, on blast.
The fighters have been linked with one another before, but the amount of weight classes now between Baumgardner, the No.1 super featherweight fighter on the planet, and Shields, who has been fighting at heavyweight, suggests a bout cannot be made.
Shields won’t fight exclusively at heavyweight, though. Following her most recent win over Francon Crews-Dezurn, in which she advanced her record to 18-0 (3 KOs), the 31-year-old said she’s considering a drop to super middleweight for the right fight.
And Baumgardner even said on The Ariel Helwani Show midweek that Shields could make a weight far below heavyweight if she were more disciplined.
In a pointed remark, she also said an old opponent of hers defeats her.
“Mikaela Mayer would beat Claressa Shields.”
— Alycia Baumgardner, 2026
She added: “Claressa thinks she’s the best in the world—she truly believes that. I don’t think she is. I think she’s the most accomplished.
“It comes down to being a disciplined fighter. How dedicated are you? Get a nutritionist. I haven’t seen her come to weigh-ins with abs at all. I’ve never seen her in tip-top shape.
“If you’re dedicated to making those fights at those weight classes,” she said, “get a nutritionist. It’s not hard—fighters do it all the time.”
Baumgardner was speaking ahead of her own fight, as she takes on Bo Mi Re Shin at the Madison Square Garden Theater in New York on Friday, April 17. Baumgardner’s opponent has 25 bouts on her resume, including a majority decision loss to Caroline Dubois in England, last year.
Elsewhere, Shadasia Green fights Lani Daniels in a super middleweight world title unification fight, among others in a nine-fight card from Most Valuable Promotions event on ESPN.
