‘That performance was so low tier’: Shields rips Green, will fight her if fans want it
Claressa Shields says she didn’t see much in Shadasia Green, but will do the fight if fans want to see it.
Claressa Shields doesn’t seem to see much in Shadasia Green, but says she will fight the 168 lb puncher if fans want to see it.
The criticism of Green (13-0, 11 KO) comes after Shadasia’s win over Olivia Curry on the Paul vs Diaz undercard on Saturday.
“So y’all want me to go handle Shadasia at 168, y’all said!” Shields posted on social media. “That performance I seen tonight was so low tier! But if the fans want it, I’ll take her! Beat her, too!”
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Shields (14-0, 2 KO) is currently the undisputed middleweight champion, and started her career at 168, where she won two titles before moving down in weight to 160 and then 154, before coming back up to 160.
But a move back up to 168 could be enticing. It would give Shields, 28, basically the only goal she really has left in the sport at all, which would be going undisputed at super middleweight, as she has now done at junior middleweight and middleweight.
On that note, the most obvious fight is a rematch with longtime rival Savannah Marshall, who is now undisputed at 168 after beating Franchon Crews-Dezurn on July 1. But Marshall and her team have some leverage, not just with the belts but also the fact that Shields vs Marshall 2 is a bigger money fight in the United Kingdom than it is in the United States, and Shields has stated clearly that she doesn’t want to go back to the UK to fight Marshall a second time.
There are otherwise very few interesting options for Shields left, which is not a knock on her, it’s the degree to which she has dominated the sport since turning pro in 2016, and even going back to the two Olympic gold medals she won in 2012 and 2016. No one has really even been all that competitive with her, and given how thin the ranks are from 154 to 168, she has beaten just about everyone there is to beat already.
Green, 33, could be interesting just because she is probably the hardest puncher in women’s boxing, which did show up on Saturday despite an extremely tough Curry going a full 10 rounds. But in terms of boxing skills, yes, Shields has an obvious and enormous advantage.