The fallout from Claressa Shields’ renewed claims over an elderly sparring session continues to reverberate across boxing, with fighters increasingly reluctant to share the ring with female professionals.

Controversy resurfaced after Shields again addressed allegations regarding a 2018 training session with Latvian boxer Arturs Ahmetovs.

The incident in which Ahmetovs dropped his shields before he was accused of glove tampering was largely forgotten until the topic was brought up again.

Since then, debate has erupted throughout the sport over sparring between male and female players. The complications when private gym sessions become the subject of public conversation years later are obvious.

Ahmetovs, who previously shared his own account of the session with World Boxing News, believes the situation highlights why many male fighters are hesitant to spar with women at all.

Two sides of one story

The story is complicated, given that it remains one side’s version of events against the other. Ahmetovs was able to provide evidence to support his account in the form of a photo they shared after the sparring session, while Shields maintained that coach Derik Santos left with the gloves on shortly after the session.

While Shields has stated in interviews that she will spar and even fight with men, the reality of that happening in today’s climate seems unlikely.

The broader debate about natural male athletes competing in women’s sports has only increased sensitivity to such situations.

Ahmetov explains his position

When asked about the effects, Ahmetovs addressed this topic directly.

“Every fighter has the right to trust,” Ahmetovs told WBN exclusively. “But men’s and women’s boxing are different categories. It’s just not her field.”

On his potential return to boxing after years of absence, and regarding any upcoming offers to fight Shields on the show, Ahmetovs added: “I was preparing for fights a few years ago, but they were canceled. Maybe I’ll do another one under the right conditions.”

“But I don’t fight with women – even sparring can get complicated. They asked for facilitate and we’ve already seen what happened.”

Ahmetovs remained accessible and lucid throughout the episode, while Shields – although defensive – never changed her stance.

Ultimately, it’s a sorry situation that a sparring session from eight years ago has resurfaced and become a talking point again, something that probably could have been avoided.

For now, the debate continues to circulate online, with supporters of both fighters offering their own interpretations of what happened during that gym session all those years ago.

Meanwhile, Shields stood by her version of events.

Whether the full truth will ever come to delicate is another matter entirely. What is clear is that this incident – ​​once little more than a forgotten sparring story – has now become part of a broader discussion about the boundaries, expectations and realities of men and women sharing the ring.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Evander Holyfield also compared himself to Ali’s legacy. “To be like Ali, I had to be the best,” he said, referring to his string of successes. He had already made it clear where Ali stood. “Ali was the best.”

Ali himself spoke openly about the opponents who gave him the most trouble.

George Foreman stood out for his power. Ali called him a “monster” for their fight in Africa and admitted in his corner that if he was knocked down, he might not get up.

Sonny Liston brought a different kind of fear. Ali, then Cassius Clay, spoke loudly before the fight to mask it. He later admitted that he had nightmares before he came face to face with Liston.

Joe Frazier pushed him harder than anyone else. “Fighting Joe was like fighting a machine,” Ali said. After Thrilla in Manila, he told his corner that he was the closest to death.

Ken Norton gave him three tough fights, including a broken jaw in the first meeting. “The Norton fight took years of my career,” Ali said.

Larry Holmes was the one he didn’t want to face. Holmes was his sparring partner and knew his style. “I taught him how to fight,” Ali said. “Now he will destroy me.” By the time the fight took place, Ali was already in his best shape, and Holmes was having problems with what he was doing in the ring.

Ali later admitted that he was not the same player. “I was senior,” he said, knowing the score would show it.

The respect between the players went both ways. Even in defeat, Ali’s opponents often spoke of him in a different tone than anyone else they faced.

Jermall Charlo, who was scheduled to face Armando Resendiz for the WBA super middleweight title on May 2, has been pulled from the fight for undisclosed reasons and will be replaced by Jaime Munguia, sources told ESPN.

Charlo withdrew just hours after sources confirmed he would fight Resendiz for the title as the co-main event of Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez’s cruiserweight title fight against David Benavidez in Las Vegas. Now Munguia, the former junior middleweight titleholder, will get his chance.

The fight will be part of the PBC Pay-Per-View event on Prime Video, which will take place at the T-Mobile Arena.

Discussions over whether Resendiz would face Charlo in his first title defense began a month ago after a proposed fight with Munguia reportedly fell apart. Resendiz, who won the interim title last May after a stunning loss to Caleb Plant, was elevated to full champion following Terence Crawford’s retirement in December. Charlo appeared on the same card and stopped Thomas LaManna, ending an 18-month break from boxing. Resendiz’s victory thwarted plans for a fight between Plant and Charlo.

After eliminating Plant, Resendiz now looks to confirm his victory by defeating another high-profile fighter in his initial WBA title defense.

Resendiz, 27, became a name to watch when he knocked out Jarrett Hurd in 2023. However, his momentum dropped when Elijah Garcia stopped him in the next fight. After getting back into the win column against Fernando Paliza, he was assigned to fight Plant, but was viewed as nothing more than an opponent before shocking the former super middleweight champion.

Munguia (45-2, 35 KO) has not fought since May 2025, when he defeated Bruno Surace by unanimous decision. The victory was initially in jeopardy after Munguia’s post-fight urine test tested positive for a banned substance, but the failed test was later ruled to be a false positive.