Alycia Baumgardner took aim at Claressa Shields this week, saying the unbeaten boxing star could make far lighter weights than heavyweight if she were more disciplined. Baumgardner made the comments midweek on The Ariel Helwani Show as she prepared for her own return to the ring Friday at Madison Square Garden Theater in New York.
Baumgardner, the No. 1 super featherweight fighter on the planet, said, “Mikaela Mayer would beat Claressa Shields.” She added that Shields “thinks she’s the best in the world,” but said, “I don’t think she is.” Still, Baumgardner said Shields is “the most accomplished” and argued the issue is not talent but discipline. “It comes down to being a disciplined fighter,” she said. “How dedicated are you?”
The exchange lands at a moment when Shields is fresh off her most recent win, a victory over Francon Crews-Dezurn that moved her to 18-0 with 3 KOs. After that fight, Shields said she is considering a drop to super middleweight for the right opponent. That keeps the door open to new matchups, but the gulf between Baumgardner’s weight class and Shields’ recent run at heavyweight remains so wide that a fight between them still looks remote.
Baumgardner pressed that point with blunt advice. “Get a nutritionist,” she said. “If you’re dedicated to making those fights at those weight classes, get a nutritionist.” She added, “I haven’t seen her come to weigh-ins with abs at all” and “I’ve never seen her in tip-top shape.” Baumgardner said, “It’s not hard—fighters do it all the time.”
For now, Baumgardner’s attention is on Bo Mi Re Shin, whom she is scheduled to face Friday, April 17, on a nine-fight Most Valuable Promotions card at Madison Square Garden Theater. Shin has 25 bouts on her resume and lost by majority decision to Caroline Dubois in England last year. On the same card, Shadasia Green meets Lani Daniels in a super middleweight world title unification fight.
The comments do not make a Shields-Baumgardner fight any more likely. They do, however, underline how often Shields remains the target when the sport’s top names start talking about pound-for-pound standing, and how quickly the conversation turns back to weight when the matchup fantasy runs into reality.
