Claressa Shields is addressing the confrontation with Alycia Baumgardner, which went down during a high-profile combat sports weekend in Las Vegas.
Shields and Baumgardner, the unified super featherweight champion, crossed paths Saturday at the Rousey vs. Carano MMA card at the Sphere. Video from the event showed Shields hitting Baumgardner with an open hand after warning her to stop speaking on her relationship with rapper, Papoose. Most Valuable Promotions, which staged the card, later banned Shields from attending future events.
After the clip spread online, Shields posted a statement about what she said led up to the incident.
“I have dedicated my life to the sport of boxing,” she wrote. “Through the grace of God, I have been blessed. My talent has allowed me to undeniably take woman’s boxing to a new level. That doesn’t stop at the ring.”
Shields said the video did not show the entire situation.
“I do not condone violence. I never have,” she wrote. “But I am also not someone who will stand in silence while continuously being verbally attacked, threatened, discriminated against or assassinate my character.” She added, “There is a documented history of attacks and threats by this person that led to this moment, and that history will speak for itself.”
Shields also wrote that “there is a difference between aggression and protection.”
Trending: A video of Alycia Baumgardner discussing the relationship between Claressa Shields and Papoose has resurfaced amid tensions boiling over between the two boxers at a recent boxing event. Is this where things got personal? #BrunchBoxing pic.twitter.com/upypmiYfJh
— Brunch Boxing (@BrunchBoxing) May 19, 2026
A video has resurfaced this week showing Baumgardner calling out Shields for dating a married man.