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.
Derrick Santos
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.
Canelo Alvarez got his hands on the WBC super-middleweight title once again as he dethroned Christian Mbilli on Saturday night, and now the reigning WBC Interim champion has revealed his keenness to take on the Mexican superstar.
Alvarez lost his undisputed title to Terence Crawford last September, whilst Christian Mbilli defended his WBC Interim title in a draw against Lester Martinez in the co-main event.
When Crawford retired from the sport and relinquished his titles, Mbilli was elevated to full world champion and an immediate target was placed on his back, with Canelo eager to regain his title – which he did with a unanimous decision win on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Martinez – who is trained by Crawford coach Brian McIntyre and has sparred the pound-for-pound great on many occasions – has since been named as the WBC Interim champion and has defended that belt with triumphs over Immanuwel Aleem and Luka Plantic during 2026.
Following Canelo’s win over Mbilli, Martinez told Izquierdazo Boxeo that it is his ‘dream’ to take on the four-division world champion in a bid for the full WBC super-middleweight crown.
“My dream now is to fight Canelo because he is the champion.”
Alvarez is believed to have one fight left on his deal with Riyadh Season and is already being linked to a return to action in the spring.
Whilst Martinez will hope to soon be mandated as Alvarez’s opponent, David Benavidez famously had no such luck when pursuing a showdown with Canelo whilst he reigned as the WBC Interim titleholder.
Instead, Canelo is hoping to secure a mammoth rematch with Crawforddespite the American’s retirement.
On Halloween night, Canelo Alvarez defeated Christian Mbilli to become a three-time super-middleweight world champion, and now the question is: outside of Terence Crawford, can any other boxer defeat Canelo at 168?
When Christian Mbilli entered the ring to face Canelo Alvarez, a reasonable number of boxing pundits thought Mbilli was going to pull off the upset. Alvarez has a history of stamina issues, and many assumed Mbilli could take advantage.
The idea was for Mbilli to overwhelm Canelo with his high-volume punching, wear him down, take over in the later rounds, and win a close decision. Unfortunately for Mbilli, the bout didn’t go that way.
Canelo Alvarez was able to dictate the range and the pace of the fight. Canelo’s defense was sharp, his stamina was good, and on offense he dominated the action with skillful counterpunching and pinpoint accuracy.
Mbilli fought the wrong type of fight, as most of the bout took place at mid-range as opposed to close quarters. Mbilli gave Canelo too much respect, and on multiple occasions he looked confused.
Christian Mbilli was severely outclassed, and because of that, the fight looked like a glorified sparring session. As a result of the bout, Canelo Alvarez (64-3-2, 39 KOs) is the new WBC super-middleweight world champion.
The sport of boxing is based on levels, and on the night of October 31st, Canelo Alvarez proved he was levels above Christian Mbilli. Now fight fans are wondering: are any of the current top super-middleweights close to being on Canelo’s level?
Terence “Bud” Crawford defeated Canelo Alvarez with his skill set and his ring IQ. None of the top super-middleweights have a skill set compatible with Crawford’s, and none of them come close to Crawford when it comes to ring intelligence.
With that being said, one would ask, outside of a rematch with Crawford, what would be the ideal fight for Canelo at 168? If Terence Crawford can’t be convinced to come out of retirement, then Hamzah Sheeraz is probably the best candidate.
The former WBO world champion Hamzah Sheeraz is a 6-foot-3-inch super-middleweight who is skilled, and he can effectively fight from long range. On Halloween night, Sheeraz was ringside analyzing the fight.
Back in July 2025, Hamzah Sheeraz looked sharp as he stopped Edgar Berlanga in the 5th round. A year later, Sheeraz had a lackluster performance, as he scored a majority decision victory over Simon Zachenhuber.
Now Hamzah Sheeraz (24-0-1, 19 KOs) appears to be the frontrunner in regards to facing Canelo in 2027. If Sheeraz doesn’t get the match, then Canelo may choose to fight one of the other champions at 168.
Lester Martinez would give Canelo Alvarez a dangerous first defense of his reclaimed WBC super middleweight title. The aggressive Guatemalan can punch and has Brian “BoMac” McIntyre in his corner, giving him access to the trainer who helped Terence Crawford beat Canelo.
“My dream now is to fight Canelo because he’s the champion,” Martinez said to Izquierdazo Boxeo in a quote shared by The Ring. His WBC interim title gives that ambition substance, although it does not establish that Canelo has been ordered to face him next.
The McIntyre connection makes this more interesting than another contender requesting a payday. BoMac knows what went into preparing Crawford for Canelo and could bring that knowledge into Martinez’s camp. The WBC lists McIntyre as Martinez’s trainer. wbcboxing.com
Crawford could also offer firsthand advice about Canelo’s timing, counterpunching and habits under pressure. His involvement in a potential camp has not been announced, but Martinez would have an obvious reason to seek his stablemate’s input.
Mbilli took too long to alter his approach when Canelo’s jab and head movement disrupted his pressure last weekend. He continued following Canelo without consistently changing how he attacked. Martinez would likely arrive expecting those tactics, with McIntyre preparing ways to get past the jab and vary his attack.
That would not make Lester immune to Canelo’s counters. It could, however, reduce the rounds spent trying to work out what to do next. BoMac could prepare alternatives before the opening bell and help Martinez adjust between rounds when Canelo starts frustrating him.
Martinez would still need to win with his own tools. He cannot copy Crawford’s performance. His route would involve sustained pressure, body punching and enough variation to prevent Canelo from anticipating each attack.
His 2025 draw with Mbilli gives him a relevant result against the man Canelo just defeated. Beating Canelo is another matter, but an aggressive puncher arriving with informed preparation would be a serious undertaking for the 36-year-old champion.
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