Claressa Shields’ promoter Dmitriy Salita has accused Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions of demanding a $25,000 penalty every time the undisputed heavyweight champion made negative comments about Paul or MVP.

The allegation emerged as the dispute over a proposed fight between Shields and Chantelle Cameron intensified, with both sides blaming each other for the breakdown in negotiations.

“MVP insisted on a $25,000 liquidated-damages payment each time Claressa made a statement they viewed as negative toward Jake Paul or MVP,” Salita stated on social media, while also sending his comments directly to World Boxing News.

“We would not agree to terms that put a price on a fighter’s speech. We did agree to a standard, mutual non-disparagement clause.”

Shields vs. Cameron Negotiations

The latest exchange followed public statements from Cameron, Shields and MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian.

Cameron said she wanted the fight for her legacy but acknowledged that negotiations had stalled.

Shields then said her side initially offered $1.1 million before MVP returned with a $1.5 million demand.

Bidarian disputed the suggestion that MVP was responsible for the fight falling apart, insisting his company had agreed to a guaranteed deal for Cameron despite having no involvement in the event.

“That guaranteed pay for our fighter was then reneged on by them and reduced by 27%,” Bidarian alleged.

He also claimed disagreements over expenses, including per diems and security, had become sticking points.

“It felt like we were agreeing to a low-budget production, which is not how we present our athletes,” he said.

Bidarian maintained that Cameron’s proposed payment was consistent with her previous major fights and said MVP had given Salita’s team a final opportunity to return to the original offer.

Word Reveals $1.1M Offer

Salita responded by accusing MVP of taking negotiations public rather than working privately to complete the deal.

“By taking these negotiations public, you showed that you were looking for a way to say no, not a way to make this fight,” he said.

Salita confirmed that his side had offered $1.1 million, plus an escalating percentage of ticket sales from the first dollar.

He argued that Shields’ history of generating seven-figure gates meant the additional revenue could have substantially increased Cameron’s total payment.

Salita also rejected the suggestion that disagreements over daily expenses had prevented the fight from being signed.

“In more than 30 years as a fighter and promoter, I’ve never seen a million-dollar fight defined by a per diem disagreement,” he stated.

“As we say in boxing, there are a million ways to say no and one way to say yes.”

Despite the increasingly personal exchanges, Salita insisted his team remained willing to negotiate.

“We have always wanted Claressa vs. Chantelle, and we remain ready to work with MVP to make it happen,” he said.

For now, the proposed fight remains unsigned, with both sides publicly disputing who is responsible for the impasse.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

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Tony Yoka has put together five consecutive wins, yet his heavyweight rebuild is chewing through critical years without showing that he has resolved the flaws exposed in his three career defeats. Saturday’s 59-55 points win over Kostiantyn Dovbyshchenko in Manchester kept the streak alive, but against opposition well below the standard required of a serious contender.

Six rounds against a durable Ukrainian journeyman on the Buatsi–Hutchinson undercard told us nothing new about the 2016 Olympic gold medalist Yoka. Over the past three years, the former Olympic champion has merely padded out his record while keeping his true ceiling carefully hidden from view.

Yoka controlled the range behind his jab and timed the Ukrainian with rear-hand uppercuts on the way in. What he failed to do was capitalize on that control. His corner repeatedly called for more spite, but Yoka settled for single shots instead of putting together sustained flurries.

Dovbyshchenko has never been stopped, so a decision win is not an embarrassment on paper. The red flag was Yoka’s refusal to turn up the heat on a fighter offering minimal return fire. That hesitation points to an uncomfortable reality: this run has not restored his confidence, it has simply matched him with opposition he can outpoint without evolving.

Yoka still left the ring with a bloody nose and a cut above his eye. Those marks are not catastrophic, but they highlight the danger of letting an aggressive target march forward unpunished. Against punchers with real stopping power, landing early leads means nothing if he cannot survive the inside exchanges that follow.

Scrapped bouts with Lawrence Okolie and Murat Gassiev account for the layoff, and taking Saturday’s contest on a few hours’ notice showed professionalism. Neither factor alters the urgency of his situation.

At 34, padding the record with routine six-round assignments brings zero value. A sink-or-swim test against someone like Frazer Clarke would finally answer whether Yoka can stand firm when an opponent walks straight through his jab.

Queensberry can keep finding him rounds. Finding a win that restores his credibility is the real challenge, and after five tune-ups, that test is long overdue.

Manny Pacquiao‘s next fight could come against one of the biggest names in British boxing.

Pacquiao hasn’t fought since a majority decision draw in a WBC welterweight title fight with Mario Barrios back in July 2025.

The eight-division world champion had been expected to have a rematch with former foe Floyd Mayweather this year, but after that contest fell through, the Filipino icon was instead linked to a match-up on the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua card next month.

That is no longer set to happen eitherbut recent world title challenger Conor Benn has revealed to Sky Sports that he is interested in facing Pacquiao, having been unable to commit to the date in December.

“He’s an all-time legend. He’s an eight-division world champion. He’ll go down in the history books. Another stadium show sounds nice.

“I know the Pacquiao fight was offered to me for December. And I wasn’t ready to get the fight done in December. But if he wants it Q1 next year, we can do Pacquiao.

December was just too soon, making weight, I’ve got a new-born son, so for me it was really about spending time with my family. If Q1, he wants to get it on again, I’m interested.

“I’m always in the gym, always working, if he wants it Q1 next year, we can do it, no problem.”

Benn last fought in September, suffering a second round stoppage loss to WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garciaand while Benn insisted that would be his last bout at 147lbs, it seems a potential bout with Pacquiao may convince him to remain in the division.