Claressa Shields says she’s making more money in the heavyweight division than ever before, but she’s willing to lose weight for the right fights.
This Sunday, February 22, Shields will defend his undisputed heavyweight title against Franchón Crews-Dezurn at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, live on DAZN worldwide. It’s a rematch nearly a decade in the making and a highlight of fight week for the self-proclaimed “GWOAT.”
“Everything is going great. I’m very excited that fight week is finally here. I had a great camp,” Shields told World Boxing News.
“I always win my fights by KO or unanimous decision. But I trained really strenuous and I believe I can get a KO.”
Heavyweight Payday – but not permanently
Questions remain as to whether Shields will remain in the heavyweight division for the rest of his career, especially considering the financial benefits associated with the division.
“Will I stay at heavyweight for the rest of my career? Look, I wasn’t making much money compared to the money I’m making now at 175-pound heavyweight.
“I am ready to fight at 165, 163 for huge fights and even 160 for the middleweight championship.”
The statement confirms that Shields is not locked into one weight class. Heavyweight increased her earnings, but did not limit her ambitions.
Targets identified
Shields has made it clear that she has options in multiple divisions.
“I have my eye on everyone. I want to give the fans great fights. So me vs. Shadasia Greene. Me vs. Lauren Price. Me vs. Mikaela Mayer. One day, me vs. Amanda Nunes in a boxing match.”
Those names span weight classes and promotional deals, signaling that Shields is open to marquee fights outside of Detroit this weekend.
MVP and the business landscape
Shields also revealed that she almost signed with Most Valuable Promotions, praising their structure and the way they have raised the level of women’s boxing.
“I like what MVP is doing with his stable of players. I almost signed with them. They have a good system and have done a great job making Amanda Serrano a superstar.”
For now, we are focused on Sunday evening and defending the undisputed heavyweight crown.
But Shields made one thing clear – success in the heavyweight division has increased her impact, not restricted her future.
Paydays have changed. Her options are not.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN), boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
Britain has produced some great heavyweights in recent years, ending an almost century-long curse and seeing success in the division ever since. Predicting the outcome of the clash between two of the best fighters in the country, Lennox Lewis and Tyson Fury, Roy Jones Jr said it would be a “great fight”.
Bob Fitzsimmons became the first British world heavyweight champion in 1897, and he and Jones remain the only two fighters in boxing history to have won both middleweight and heavyweight world titles.
However, Great Britain struggled for success in the division after the Fitzsimmons fight, unable to claim heavyweight supremacy until Lennox Lewis became WBC world champion in 1992. Britain has since crowned its title 11th world heavyweight championFabio Wardley, who follows in the footsteps of Fury and Anthony Joshua.
In an interview with Grosvenor CasinoJones said he would give Lewis an advantage over the “Gypsy King” if they met in their prime.
“Tyson Fury vs. Lennox Lewis? That would be a great fight, but my first thought was Lennox Lewis because of his power. But my second thought was also that Tyson Fury was great at making adjustments. I would go with Lennox Lewis.”
At least one heavyweight world title is expected to remain in a Briton’s hands for some time, with Daniel Dubois scheduled to face another Briton, Fabio Wardley, for the WBO belt next month.
In the meantime, we hope 21-year-old Moses Itauma can continue Britain’s success for many years to come, with the youngster considered by many to be the hottest prospect in boxing.
As for Fury, he is focused on the UK-wide megafight with Joshua – their own ‘Battle of Britain’ after Lennox fought Frank Bruno in 1993.
“Derrick James, he started getting a little more players and a little more buzz, and I feel like our communication has changed,” Charlo told Brian Custer.
Charlo said that as James built a larger stable, there was less hands-on time spent with him and more trying to control the gym environment. He claimed that James wanted things done his way, including telling players to remove dogs from the gym during training sessions and changing the atmosphere that helped build their success.
Charlo has been out of the ring since his loss to Saul Alvarez in 2023, and James recently split from Errol Spence Jr. A coach once considered one of the safest hands in the sport is suddenly facing public criticism from two of his biggest names.
“He wanted it his way,” Charlo said. “Coach needs us. Don’t overdo it, coach. Serene down, coach. I was your first champion.”
He also pointed to his camp leading up to the Alvarez fight, saying the support around him wasn’t the same when he needed it most.
“You don’t enter into a world title fight like that,” Charlo said.
Charlo still believes he can regain his spot in the junior middleweight division, and talks about a possible fight with Sebastian Fundora are ongoing later this year. His confidence hasn’t changed, but his patience with ancient alliances has noticeably changed. Sometimes a rift begins when success changes the room.
However, ‘AJ’ instead maintained that he would prefer a warm-up fight first, with the Londoner expected to return to action in July, ahead of a long-awaited meeting with his arch-rival in November.
I’m talking to talkSPORT BoxingHamed was looking forward to this match and suggested that a draw could be on the cards.
“Who do I think will win the fight between AJ and Fury? Well, that is the question and everyone wants to know.
“Years ago, Tyson had this awkward style for me where he could make AJ look stupid, that’s true. Now everything has changed. Tyson seemed to have backed off a little bit.
“But with Tyson Fury you never know, maybe one night he’ll show up and box amazingly and do what he did to Wilder. Those first few rounds [against Makhmudov]I was a little disappointed that he didn’t go from the start.
“This is going to sound crazy to you, but would it be unbelievable if I said it could be a draw?”
It is unclear whether Fury will also fight in the summer or whether he will avoid risking a lucrative romance with Joshua and wait patiently on the sidelines.
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