The Breakfast Club INTERVIEW: Claressa Shields Talks Boxing Career, Internet Beef, 50 Cent, Papoose, Laila Ali, New Music + More
Mar 25, 2026
Claressa Shields, two-time Olympic gold medalist and undisputed boxer now branching into music and promotion. She discusses sold-out fights and choosing opponents, handling online trolling and high-profile feuds, balancing business ambitions with family and healing, and why music became her creative outlet.
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Sold Out 18,000 Crowd Changed Her Perspective
- Claressa Shields described selling out an 18,000-seat arena and feeling humbled despite prior big shows.
- She contrasted social media hate with in-person support, noting 77% of her crowd were women and fans came from the U.K. and Africa.
She Chooses Fights By Resume Not Noise
- Shields says she picks opponents by resume and competitiveness, not trash talk.
- She emphasized fighting undefeated and high-profile opponents throughout her career rather than opponents with poor records.
Weigh-In Melee And 2018 Fight Cancellation
- Claressa recounted the Franchon push-and-post-weigh-in melee and clarified she pushed Franchon after provocation and social-media accusations.
- She referenced a 2018 Flint weigh-in incident where her team was falsely blamed and her fight got canceled.