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Last month, Heavy’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson reported that that WBC and WBO junior middleweight championship Claressa Shields issued a challenge $10 million challenge against Laila Ali.
According to Robinson, Shields share with him via text, that Ali can’t kick her ass.
“Ain’t no thinking I know,” said Shields.
“Her skills were not there. She may be undefeated, but look at the girls she boxed against. Soccer moms. I’m no soccer mom. She would have my respect, but she ducked Anne Wolfe, and now she’s hating on me because I’m a better fighter than her.”
Shields then told me all she wants to do is step in the ring with Ali. “Loser gets $5 million,” shared Shields.
“And the winner gets $10 million. Make it happen!”
Shields issued the challenge after hearing Ali’s comments during an appearance on The Sway in the Morning Show. The daughter of ‘The Greatest of All-Time’ Mummahad Ali was promoting her show Home Made Simple on the OWN Network.
“First of all, she could never beat me,” she shared with Sway Calloway.
“Let me get that really straight right now. Not simply because she’s not strong enough, because I would definitely knock her out because she’s not talented enough.”
Ali didn’t stop there. : “You’re talented.”
“You can box. You can throw those hard punches. But there’s a sweet science to boxing. The reason you have not been able to knock out the opponents that you have faced, I can totally see it.”
Ali also made an appearance on The Ak & Barak show and shared that not everything is about Claressa Shields. Per World Boxing News, “One thing Claressa [Shields] needs to understand, it’s not always about her, OK?”
“Who inspires me to come out of retirement at 42? – Do you have $5 million for me, do you have $10 million for me? “Cause it’s going to take at least that to come to get me.
“You know what I’d have to do to come back for a fight? – I don’t care who it is, cause I’m gonna win regardless. “I’m gonna knock you out. Period. So for me, it really comes down to me being in shape. That’s the only way I would lose – if I was not in shape. “So for me to stop everything I’m doing, OK. To take time away from my family. My kids being like, ‘Mom, you not going to do this’ – My husband not agreeing with it. “The training, the focus. Everything it would take. Now, who is there? – Nobody. “If I wanted to, of course, I could.”
Ali Would Consider Coming out of Retirement if the Money is Right
On Friday morning’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, Laila Ali was a guest ahead of the Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder fight on Saturday. Of course, they asked Ali to weigh-in on this weekend’s fight on the at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, but they also asked if she would be willing to come out of retirement to face Claressa Sheilds.
“Well, I will tell you this, I love boxing I always have, and boxing has inspired my Laila Ali lifestyle brand. I have been outside the boxing gym, but I have been in the gym ever since I left I got nutrition products, spice blends. I am all about health and wellness I’m very healthy and have I been sitting around thinking about boxing no, but lately, there has been a little chatter.
Max Kellerman: Are you referring to Claressa Shields, a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist undefeated?
Laila Ali: Yes, which is amazing, and I love that because we want to see women grow and continue to inspire other people, right? And she has been calling me out, and she has taken offense to some things that I have said in the past that had nothing to do with her. And people have asked me, would you come back? Well, I have to be inspired by the opponent, I have to be inspired by the ‘purse’ because I have multiple things going on and multiple streams of income I don’t need to do it and I have to want to do it.
Max Kellerman: is she an inspiring an opponent?
Laila Ali: is she? Absolutely, of course, especially that mouth because when it is personal, that starts a fire, right? And when the money is right, and it makes sense, then why not I’m an Ali lets not forget that.
Stephen A Smith: let’s be clear, what you are saying is that Claressa Shields has a mouth. She has been talking out of her mouth about you, which you don’t like, so you have to be personally motivated, and you are personally motivated now. So, it really comes down whether or not the purse is going to be right and if the purse is right at 42. You are going to come out of retirement to beat her up. Is that what you are saying?
Laila Ali: I have been boxing for 13 years. I’m saying that there is definitely a possibility and I’m open to that possibility if the money is right. When I say right, remember no woman has made a million dollars, including me. So, if I couldn’t do it back then, we have to know it has to be a promoter, who has a vision and understanding that this fight can be bigger and transcend boxing. I’m going to bring the star power, and you have an amazing athlete in Claressa Sheilds with a lot of heart. She has been calling out since last year, and she has taken offense of me responding.
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Claressa Shields’ Mouth Makes Her an Inspiring Opponent, Says Laila Ali