Claressa Shields thinks Laila Ali needs a reality check.
The current women’s three division titleholder is up for fighting Ali, the former face of women’s boxing. She’s just not convinced that Ali’s financial terms are realistic.
On Monday, the Flint, Michigan native posted a tweet laying down her concern.
“Lol I’ll do whatever to get a fight made with me and Laila Ali,” Shields wrote. “She is the one asking for 5 million and also wants to be the A-side if we fight knowing damn well she is not relevant in today’s time! I’m the current reigning world champion.”
Lol I’ll do whatever to get a fight made with me and Laila Ali. She is the one asking for 5, million and also wants to be the A-side if we fight knowing damn well she is not relevant in today’s time! I’m the current reigning world champion. So if she really wanted to fight, be
— ClaressaT-rexShields (@Claressashields) March 23, 2020
The two have exchanged jabs through the media since the beginning of the year. In an interview with ESPN, Ali said she was interested in the fight “especially [because of Shields’] mouth. When it’s personal that starts a fire, right? And when the money’s right and it makes sense, then why not?”
Shields-Ali (or is it Ali-Shields?) would be big. Shields just isn’t convinced it’s $5 million big.
“When I hear a[n] official ‘I’m out of retirement’ talk then I’ll believe it,” Shields wrote in another tweet. “Also when her team starts talking “REAL NUMBERS” and splits. Not saying that me and her can’t generate 15 million or 5 million. Just saying that it hasn’t been proven in our sport yet.”
If Ali, the daughter of heavyweight great Muhammad Ali, is serious, Shields says, she can make a formal announcement ending her retirement.
“Stop asking for insane split,” Shields wrote in another follow-up tweet. “It’s ridiculous. Also come out of retirement. Make an official announcement and say you are not retired. No one believes the talk coming from her. I’m fighting and taking all challenges! Not hard to make a fight with me.”
Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinoza believes the fight could actually happen despite the exorbitant financial demands. Showtime has been the broadcasting home for the majority of Shields’ professional career.
“The Ali thing seems very real,” Espinoza said on the Showtime Boxing Podcast. “There’s a lot of talk about the financial requirements, and that’s always an important part of every deal.
“But I think it’s real. Certainly I know from Claressa she would love the opportunity, and everything that I’ve heard and read it’s a realistic possibility from Laila’s side. I think that’s certainly the biggest fight that can be made.”