On Tuesday, Claressa Shields publicly responded to the ban from Most Valuable Promotions events, dismissing the sanction, stating that she had previously refused to sign the promotion agreement and indicating that her legal team would address what she described as false statements and defamation. The X posts follow Monday’s announcement by MVP that the undisputed heavyweight champion has been banned from events until further notice following a physical altercation with Alycia Baumgardner at MVP MMA 1 at the Intuit Dome on Saturday, May 16.

Baumgardner, who is signed to MVP and holds the unified 130-pound championship, said Monday that she experienced a “physical attack without provocation” and that the case would be handled legally. BoxingInsider previously reported on the ban and Baumgardner’s response.

Shields’ answer to MVP

Shields addressed the promotion directly in the X post.

“Now to MVP, you all tried to sign me, I refused!” Shields wrote. “You can’t kick me out of a place I don’t want to be! Tomorrow I can fight anywhere in the world! So anyone who thinks this feeble ban matters, doesn’t matter. These false statements will be dealt with as well. All of you threatening me and then playing the victim is madness. MVP, all of you lying all over me, that’s NOTHING NEW! Since you came out of the gate, all that remains is disrespect! Calling all of you fighters a ‘Real GWOAT’ while looking at my achievements, trying to erase my demanding work in women’s boxing and constantly trying to kill my character with LIES!”

MVP, co-founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, has signed numerous female players in recent years, including Baumgardner and Amanda Serrano. Shields had not previously publicly confirmed that the promotion had offered her a contract.

Shields’ broader statement

Earlier Tuesday, Shields released a longer statement about X in which she characterized the encounter as the result of an extended pattern of hostility directed at her and said the circulating video did not capture the full sequence of events.

“I have dedicated my life to the sport of boxing. By the grace of God, I have been blessed. My talent has undeniably allowed me to take women’s boxing to a recent level,” Shields wrote. “It doesn’t end in the ring. What’s circulating on the Internet doesn’t tell the full story. Until now. I don’t condone violence. I’ve never done it. But I’m also not one to stand silently while I’m constantly verbally attacked, threatened, discriminated against, or have my character killed. I also won’t allow the reality of disrespect to turn into a narrative or discussion about colorism or jealousy.”

Shields continued: “There is a documented history of attacks and threats from this individual leading up to this point, and that history will speak for itself. There is a difference between aggression and protection. I stand for integrity. I stand on what I have built. I am a champion. Any further false allegations or defamation of character will be dealt with appropriately by my legal team.”

Shields did not detail the documented history she was referencing or specify what specific statements by MVP or Baumgardner she considered defamatory.

Where things stand

According to ESPNThe MVP ban applies to all future events and remains in effect until further notice, with no disclosure of the terms of its potential revocation. Neither side has filed any civil claims. Both camps said legal teams were involved.

Shields is the undisputed heavyweight champion and has fought between 154 and 175 pounds. Baumgardner holds the unified 130-pound titles. A sanctioned fight between the two teams has long been considered impractical due to the weight difference, which has been a recurring feature of their public exchanges since 2022.

Saturday’s MVP event in Inglewood was his first MMA promotion and his first event with Netflix. Ronda Rousey stopped Gina Carano 17 seconds into the main event.

Eddie Hearn wants Rolando “Rolly” Romero to fight Jack Catterall within 90 days rather than wait for the full 180 days set by the WBA for a mandatory defense, especially after Shakhram Giyasov has already spent months waiting for a title fight that never came.

Catterall (33-2, 14 KO) won the vacant WBA welterweight title last Saturday in Egypt with a 12-round unanimous decision over Giyasov (17-1, 10 KO). After the fight, Hearn made it clear that he wanted Romero to move quickly to fight the newly crowned champion.

“They’re two avoided guys and they were both mandatory governing bodies. Jack was mandatory for the WBO. Shakhram was mandatory for the WBA. They decided to just roll the dice and they deserve all the credit and respect for that,” Eddie Hearn said last Saturday of Catterall and Giyas.

“These are two avoided guys. Two of the top fighters at 140 pounds, and Jack was exceptional today. He started swift, he was aggressive, and now he has a share of the world championship, but we want the full portion.”

The WBA officially ordered Romero to defend against the winner of the Catterall-Giyasov fight within 180 days. Hearn believes there is no reason for the trial to drag on for another six months, after Giyasov has already waited around seven months for his mandatory shot at Romero under the WBA’s original order last October.

“And thank you [WBA president] Gilberto Mendoza, who yesterday gave an official order that the winner of this fight must fight [Super champion] Rolly Romero in 180 days. Why wait 180 days? We don’t need 180 days. 90 sounds better. I also thank Turki Alalshikh,” Hearn said.

Romero has not fought since May 2, 2025, when he defeated Ryan Garcia in Times Square. Despite the inaction, the WBA elevated him to “super” champion status while Catterall and Giyasov fought for a second belt in Egypt. Hearn now wants the WBA to move quickly towards a Romero-Catterall fight rather than allowing another long wait at welterweight.

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

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Last updated: 25/05/2026 at 1:28

Oleksandr Usyk retained his heavyweight title in Egypt, but his place at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings did not survive his fight with Rico Verhoeven intact.

Usyk was already on his way down most pound-for-pound charts due to his decision to face a kickboxer rather than a top heavyweight.

Despite DAZN’s insistence during the broadcast that Usyk remained number one, even in their own rankings Naoya Inoue was sitting above the Ukrainian before the blow was dealt at the Pyramids.

This alone suggested that Usyk was never going to retain his long-held number two position, regardless of the result.

The only real question was how far it would fall.

Usyk vs. Verhoeven fight

As detailed in WBN’s round-by-round live coverage, the performance itself only accelerated the slide.

Usyk fought for long stretches with Rico Verhoeven, a GLORY kickboxing legend taking part in only his second professional boxing competition.

Instead of controlling the fight with the dominance you’d expect from one of boxing’s elite pound-for-pound stars, Usyk looked uncomfortable, frustrated and at times truly defenseless against Verhoeven’s awkward movements and odd timing.

Even when the champion finally succeeded delayed and forced a dramatic stoppage, more damage had already been done to his aura.

Usyk’s pound-for-pound decline

After ten rounds of the fight with Verhoeven, WBN decided on number six for Usyk, just above Devin Haney.

Naoya Inoue currently remains number one, with Shakur Stevenson, Jesse Rodriguez, Dmitry Bivol and David Benavidez overtaking the heavyweight champion after the worst performance of Usyk’s career.

This leaves Usyk outside the sport’s true elite class for now, even as he insists on his top-flight status.

However, this is not about depriving Usyk of his achievements. It’s about recognizing the decisions made and the results achieved.

The Ukrainian remains undefeated, still holds the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, and has won victories, among others. over Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois.

However, the pound-for-pound rankings are intended to reflect current form and dominance relative to expectations.

The heavyweight champion, widely considered one of the best fighters in the world, should not lose heavily in rounds to an opponent who is just emerging in professional boxing.

There is no escape from this reality, no matter how extraordinary Verhoeven’s boxing style and pedigree.

Usyk is no longer untouchable

The irony is that Usyk will likely win the rematch much easier if the two meet again.

The intrigue around the second fight had largely disappeared, as Usyk was now expected to prepare specifically for the unconventional attacks that had surprised him in Egypt.

However, the first impression cannot be erased, because for one night at the Pyramids, Oleksandr Usyk no longer looked untouchable.

And for a fighter at the very top of pound-for-pound boxing, that image will be challenging to erase from his legacy.

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.