Claressa Shields: “I want to fight against the best and make the biggest fights.”

Claressa Shields: “I want to fight against the best and make the biggest fights.”

Last month in Detroit, Lani Daniels became the latest fighter to find Claressa Shields far too good for her. The American defended her undisputed world heavyweight titles by comprehensively outpointing Daniels over ten one-sided rounds.

As ever in boxing, the question is what’s next for a fighter who seemingly only lacks worthwhile competition. Shields, who advanced her untouched resume to 17-0, appears to be head and shoulders above most, if not all, of her contemporaries. There are, of course, a plethora of willing potential opponents. They know what the two-time Olympic champion brings.

The Australian WBA world light-heavyweight champion, Che Kenneally, travelled to Detroit for the Shields/Daniels fight. She exchanged a few words with Shields and got herself noticed. Kenneally put herself in the frame to land the Claressa Shields lottery ticket. It was a smart piece of business for Kenneally. Putting yourself in the shop window is always worth doing. It might just work for her.

But there do seem to be opponents who are further up the pecking order. Shields, who is now a promotional free agent, is already looking at her future options.

“You have to beg these girls at the lower weight classes to fight me,” Shields told me over Zoom. “When I was at 154 and calling out Cecilia Brækhus, Jessica McCaskill, and even though I was only seven pounds bigger than them, they would not come up. I’ve already beaten the best. Right now, I don’t think there are girls better than Christina Hammer, Savannah Marshall, and Franchon Crews-Dezurn; these are girls whom I have already beaten. Shadasia Green has just beaten Savannah Marshall, but she has also lost to Franchon Crews-Dezurn. So, who really is the best out of those two? When it comes to picking who I should fight out of those two, Franchon comes out on top. Franchon has beaten Shadasia already. I want to fight against the best and make the biggest fights. I could fight Franchon or Shadasia or even do a rematch with Savannah or Christina Hammer. Or maybe even fight Mikaela Mayer at 154 or 160.”

It is the name of the current WBO world welterweight champion that perhaps offers the most intrigue, and maybe Mayer offers the toughest test of all the prospective opponents out there. It will certainly not happen next, but maybe at some point in 2026, the two former Olympic teammates will share a ring together.

“Mikaela has got some skills on her, and she has got some speed on her,” Shields admitted. “At 175, I am pretty fast, and I have some strong punches. But Mikaela Mayer is still fast in her weight class, so it would be a nice match-up. We went to the Olympics together, and I have known her since I was sixteen years old. I think it would be a really good showcase of skills, to be honest with you.”

It is a potential fight that, with the right promotion, could cross over into a more mainstream audience. Mayer has attracted a large viewership on ESPN, especially with her intense rivalry with Sandy Ryan, but Shields believes she is the fighter with the bigger fan base. “I already have the fans, the brand, and everything. My brand is bigger than Mikeala’s, so she will be getting my audience. Mikaela will gain notoriety and stardom from my fans. I already have a large audience, and I am selling out 15,000 arenas.”

Whoever is next, and despite everything she has already achieved, Claressa Shields is heading into the most exciting and rewarding stage of her career. Shields has plans to start a family in the coming years, but the 30-year-old is planning to fight for a few more years yet. “I will retire when I am 38,” Shields relayed to me.

The resume of Claressa Shields already guarantees her a visit to Canastota, New York, the day her name becomes eligible to go on the ballot for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. But Shields isn’t done just yet. “What keeps me motivated is that I can still fight very well,” Shields said. “I am not old. I am not tired. I am still the best. I still want to make the best fights. That’s what keeps me going.”