Claressa Shields is openly accusing Alycia Baumgardner of ducking Caroline Dubois.
The boxing champion said she believes Baumgardner is “100 percent scared” of Dubois and unwilling to put her record at risk against a fighter Shields thinks would beat her.
“I think that Baumgardner is 100 percent scared of Caroline, and she doesn’t want to risk her record now that she already has one loss on it,” Shields told Sky Sports.
She added, “I believe that Caroline will win that fight.”
Dubois has repeatedly pursued a matchup with Baumgardner, who has other plans in the meantime. Shields argued that the few pounds separating them shouldn’t keep the bout from happening.
She also gave Dubois a major endorsement beyond the potential fight.
Shields said she expects Dubois to be among the women helping lead boxing into its next era, while also giving Gabriela Fundora credit as another dangerous talent.
Still, Dubois appears to have earned Shields’s special support.
She said the younger fighter’s style and temperament feel similar to her own, and she offered to help her keep developing.
Shields even floated the idea of Dubois eventually inheriting the “GWOAT” moniker.