Courtney Balcombe

News Editor

clb6264@psu.edu

On October 1st, Claressa Shields challenged Youtuber turned boxer Jake Paul to a match in which she claimed she could beat him.

“I wasn’t talking s**t about Jake Paul yesterday.” Shields told TMZ Sports. “What I was speaking was facts. Jake Paul gets inside a boxing ring with me, he’s getting his a** whooped!”

Shields returned to the Professional Fighters League, PFL, Mixed MArtial Arts, MMA, cage on October 27th.

“Don’t disrespect my skills.” Shields said. “Look, just because a man is a man and he’s in boxing doesn’t mean that they can beat me and there’s a lot of guys who’s been in boxing for years who cannot do nothing with me, let alone Jake Paul.”

Shields has named herself the Greatest Woman of All Time, GWOAT, based on her success in the boxing ring.

On October 27th, Shields took on her first ever defeat in a match against Abigail Montes. 

According to MMA Fighting, she ultimately suffered a split decision loss to the Mexican prospect at Wednesday’s PFL World Championship finale. With two judges scoring the contest 29-28 in favor of Montes, while the lone dissenter scored it 29-28 for Shields.

According to Michigan Live, Shields, who is 11-0-0 with two KOs as a pro boxer, embraced Montes in the ring moments after the split decision was announced.

Shields released a statement congratulating the 21-year-old Montes, who is 3-0 in her brief MMA career. The MMA match with Montes was just Shields’ second since she signed a two-year contract with the PFL late 2020.

“Just as I am gracious in victory, I will be gracious in defeat,” Shields wrote. “I thought the fight was close. I am learning on the job and happy for the experience. Thanks to the @pflmma and my coaches … and all my fans for your support. GWOAT out.”

Paul took this loss as a chance to knock Shields down and call her a “loser.”

“The truth hurts but it’s necessary,” Paul wrote on Twitter. “Clarissa Shields is a loser. In MMA, and even more so with her prima donna attitude. The fake always get exposed. Losses come when anger and hate take over. Just ask Rousey and McGregor. She spent more time berating Jake Paul than learning Jiu Jitsu. She’s never been a big draw and unfortunately for her she never will be. Amanda Serrano (the GWOAT) though, has 30 KOs in 42 fights. 2-0 in MMA, both wins by submission. Congrats Abigail Montes on the win.”

Shields is scheduled to return to the boxing ring on December 11th to put her middleweight championship on the line against England’s Ema Kozin who is 21-0-1, 11 KOs.

Around the same time of Shields’ match, Paul will face off against fellow undefeated boxer Tommy Fury on December 18th in Tampa, Florida which was officially announced Friday October 29th.

Tommy Fury is the half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and is 7-0 in pro boxing.

According to ESPN in September Tyson Fury joked in an interview with Boxing Social that if Tommy lost to Paul he should change his name. 

“I offered Fury to change his name to Tommy Fumbles or put up $500,000 of his purse if he loses,” Paul said. “He chose to agree to change his name. Guess he puts more value on money then he does his own family name. Maybe he knows his family is disowning him once he loses, so money and Molly is all he’s going to have left.”

While Shields vs Paul has not been a confirmed future fight, it would not be the first MMA fight where a female boxer took on a man, however she is willing to take him on in her current weight class.