The last time we saw Claressa Shields in the ring was against Danielle Perkins on February 2, 2025. Boxing’s GWOAT had won the bout by unanimous decision, becoming the first boxer to hold undisputed status across three weight classes. But the celebrations were short-lived. Because Shields had to face yet another battle before truly claiming the victory. You see, post the fight in her hometown of Flint, Michigan, she and 16 other boxers underwent drug testing via mouth swabs. That’s the standard protocol by the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission (MUCC). What happened next is quite a story.
Shields had tested positive for a trace amount of marijuana (a legal, non-performance-enhancing substance). While her team advocated that Shields had never consumed the drug, and that the positive results were due to second-hand exposure, MUCC still imposed a 90-day suspension, a possible fine, and a WBO “show cause notice.” Clearly, the 30-year-old’s title was in danger. However, despite the precarious nature of the accusation, Shields appeared before the committee and provided all the details that were asked of her. A few tense weeks later, MUCC admitted that there had been a ‘procedural error’ in their test, thereby rescinding the suspension. This cleared the way for Claressa Shields to plan her return to the ring. And as planned, the two-time Olympic gold-medalist has an opponent at hand as per recent reports.
A fight long in the making
Yesterday, Brunch Boxing posted on their X handle regarding the 30-year-old’s first undisputed title defense. “Undisputed heavyweight champion, the GWOAT Claressa Shields is set to return to the ring against former heavyweight champion and current IBF Light Heavyweight Champion Lani Daniels,” the post read. Along with that, they’d attached a video of Shields from her last bout. And how she overpowered Perkins, pinning her against the ropes while raining down power shots. Perkins was left wobbly by the end of the barrage.
Scoop Alert
Undisputed heavyweight champion, the GWOAT Claressa Shields is set to return to the ring against former heavyweight champion and current IBF Light Heavyweight Champion Lani Daniels. The bout is being tabbed for July 26. #BrunchBoxing pic.twitter.com/XibJ9ynQs1
— Brunch Boxing (@BrunchBoxing) April 19, 2025
Continuing to provide updates, the post mentioned a tentative date for an anticipated showdown: “The bout is being tabbed for July 26.” Although there are no updates regarding the location of the bout, the coming days will make it evident where the fight will take place. Regarding her next opponent, Lani Daniels, the 36-year-old has long wanted to fight Shields. The Kiwi has been vocal about her long-term career goal of facing the heavyweight champion. That too, back in 2019, when she faced Geovana Peres. Last year, when Shields decided to move up to light heavyweight, according to her, Daniels was the first choice for the opponent before they settled on Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.
Unfortunately for her, that’s where the majority of high-profile female boxing competition lies, including her rival Alycia Baumgardner, who joined MVP in March this year.
Claressa Shields not one to back down
Who doesn’t know about the ongoing back-and-forth between Claressa Shields and Jake Paul? Their long-ongoing tussle started way back when the YouTuber-turned-boxer entered the sport. And, it only kept intensifying, especially when Paul defeated the beloved Mike Tyson in a controversial bout. The drama was never short on fuel.
Only recently, Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, had offered Shields her “biggest payday” for accepting to fight Alycia Baumgardner. Albeit, only if Shields dropped to at least 147 lbs, which is simply too much to ask for, considering a weight difference of more than 30 pounds between the two rivals! Amid all the chaos, Baumgardner had pushed, “I agreed to fight Claressa at 147 pounds. She agreed to it. There is proof that she said this. If she don’t want it, she don’t want it. Right now, it doesn’t make sense to go up to 154 pounds.”
The virtual jabs didn’t stop there. The “biggest payday” comment from Nakisa Bidarian didn’t sit well with the GWOAT, who immediately went on an all-out tirade against the entire MVP stable. Amanda Serrano intervened, trying to resolve ties by stating that she, Baumgardner, and their team MVP weren’t looking to disrespect anyone. To that, Shields responded, “You, MVP & Alycia, love throwing rocks & hiding y’all hands. Just leave me tf alone! Your stupid-a** promoter Nakisa stay tweeting saying false stuff 24/7, like I won’t expose the truth! They came in the game hating! Tried to give you & promote you off my hard work & name! If y’all so.” This only exacerbated the feud between Serrano and Shields.
Naturally, Serrano turned red too, calling Shields out on her behavior. “Claressa, you are one of the best, and I will always admire what you have accomplished. Over the past 3 years you have constantly made disrespectful comments about my company, my promoter, my accomplishments, and the people I care about, who have changed my life and have made it a point to support women’s boxing on the biggest stages possible,” Amanda Serrano said on X. Backing their star fighter, Jake Paul, responded to Serrano’s post saying, “Big boss has spoken.” Shields, seemingly unaffected by the statement, clapped back: “Oh she needed back up went and got her Boss .”
For now, it’s clear that Claressa Shields values respect more than money. And it won’t be anytime soon that she faces fighters from MVP. That makes it all the more believable that she’d go on and face Lani Daniels, the current IBF female light heavyweight champion next. What do you think about that?
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