Claressa Shields has been “banned” from all future Most Valuable Promotions events following an altercation with Alycia Baumgardner at last weekend’s Rousey vs. Carano event in California.

They were both present at the first MMA gala organized by Most Valuable Promotions and at Netflix’s first entry into combat sports. The card has been completed Ronda Rousey defeats Gina Carano in 17 seconds and also featured the return of Francis Ngannou, as well as a veteran clash between Nate Diaz and Mike Perry.

On the boxing side, MVP Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian have formed the strongest stable of fighters in the sport, and Baumgardner is emerging as a leading star.

The unified super featherweight champion has been embroiled in a feud with five-time Shields division champions that has been widely reported on social media. When the pair came face to face in the VIP area at the event, Shields appeared to punch Baumgardner.

A few days later, MVP announced that “The GWOAT” would no longer be able to participate in any of his events.

“Most Valuable Promotions is aware of an incident that occurred during MVP Rousey vs. Carano Saturday night, which involved physical contact between Claressa Shields and Alycia Baumgardner.

“MVP maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy for hostile, threatening or aggressive behavior towards athletes, staff, media or guests at any of our events. Physical altercations outside the ring or cage are unacceptable in any MVP environment. MVP does not condone, condone or condone Claressa Shields’ behavior in such an environment and it reflects poorly on MVP and the women’s sport we have worked tirelessly to support.”

” Effective immediately, Claressa Shields is banned from all MVP events until further notice. There is a time and place for tension and athlete banter, but physically attacking another athlete while he or she is a guest in a private VIP area is unacceptable.

“MVP would like to thank venue security for their quick response in addressing and de-escalating the situation, and appreciates that Alycia Baumgardner did not retaliate or make the situation worse. We remain committed to maintaining a safe and sound, respectful and professional environment for all participants at our events and will continue to enforce these standards without exception.”

Shields has not responded yet.

Tony Bellew believes Rico Verhoeven could give Oleksandr Usyk some awkward moments early in the fight, but he still expects the undefeated heavyweight champion to eventually work him out once the fight turns into a boxing match. Bellew also warned that Verhoeven’s kickboxing background makes him much more hazardous than many boxing fans realize.

“If this was a kickboxing match, I’m telling you, Oleksandr would be in huge trouble. Don’t kick him,” Bellew told DAZN Boxing. “Fortunately for Oleksandr Usyk, this is a boxing fight. I think once the first three or four rounds pass and Oleksandr Usyk sees the awkwardness, the attitude and the style, I think Rico may have a night of tough work ahead of him.”

“Rico Verhoeven is a problem. He is a problem and we don’t really know much about him from a boxing point of view. We don’t really know anything. He had one fight and you can’t get anything out of it at all. His kickboxing experience tells you an awful lot.

Bellew said during an interview leading up to the Usyk-Verhoeven fight that Verhoeven’s unconventional style could create arduous moments before Usyk starts making changes.

“You would forgive him for thinking this guy was a kickboxer. I won’t have to be 100% ready to beat this guy like Tyson Fury thought he was against Francis Ngannou,” Bellew said. “Or maybe he’ll take the Anthony Joshua approach where you go in there and say, ‘This is a grave fight. I’ve got to get rid of him.’

“I don’t think he’ll be taken lightly. Usyk is a consummate professional. He’s a conscientious professional. You’ll never catch this guy sleeping. You have to get out of bed really, really early to catch him.”

Bellew still made it clear that he sees Usyk eventually taking control once he gathers enough information during the fight.

“I think this fight will be very invigorating for six, seven, maybe eight rounds. I think Oleksandr will take a look at Rico. He will see what he is doing. He will find out what the feints will do to him and which side he will take him on.”

“Once he’s got it all, he’ll get rid of Verhoeven. He’ll just have too much and that’s the end of it. He’s doing the same to everyone else,” Bellew said.

Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most significant fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.

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Last updated: 18/05/2026 at 23:10

Robert Garcia doubts whether Errol Spence Jr will be able to rediscover the qualities that made him one of the “best players” in the sport from 2019 to 2022.

“The Truth” was once considered the top 10-pound-for-pound operator when he dethroned Shawn Porter and Yordenis Ugas to unify the WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight titles

Around this time, many even predicted he would beat Terence Crawford, and only he did they lost their uncontested clash after a one-sided stoppage in the ninth round in 2023

Spence has remained out of the ring since then, but now plans to revive his career with a fight against Tim Tszyu, a former world champion, on July 25.

The pair will face off in Australia at the 158-pound catchweight, and Tszyu will have the home advantage as he too looks to reclaim his place on the world stage.

His last appearance at the world level ended with a defeat in the seventh round against Sebastian Fundora, who ended their first meeting in 2024 with a split decision.

That same year, Tszyu came close to a devastating third-round victory over Bakhram Murtazaliev, but is now coming off back-to-back victories following his rematch with Fundora last July.

Spence, on the other hand, seems to be taking quite a risk by jumping right into a perceived 50/50 conflict, with top coach Garcia telling him: ESNEWS that the 36-year-old would be forgiven for taking a “preparatory fight”.

“Errol Spence was a damn tough guy – one of the best players.

“When he fought Crawford, you could tell it wasn’t the Errol Spence we were used to, he didn’t look good at all.

“Three years later, he wants to return to boxing – and he has no intention of starting [with] tuning fight. I think he doesn’t know what’s left for him and if he improves the situation he could get his ass kicked.

– That’s probably why [made] decision to directly enter into a fight with Tim Tszyu. If he’s fresh and good, he can win.

As Garcia points out, there is no way to know how much Spence has left due to inactivity, which is a immense part of what makes this such an intriguing matchup with Tszyu.