Boxing

Claressa Shields Reveals Details Of $8 Million Fight Deal, Talks Laila Ali Fight Refusal

Claressa Shields sent a clear message about her $8 million fight contract and Laili Ali refusing to fight her.
Grant Young|
Claressa Shields at the Premiere des Kino films The Fire Inside im DGA Theater.
Claressa Shields at the Premiere des Kino films The Fire Inside im DGA Theater. | IMAGO / Future Image

On November 7, news broke that two-time Olympic gold medalist and undisputed heavyweight champion Claressa Shields (who goes by the "GWOAT") signed a guaranteed $8 million multi-fight partnership with Wynn Records and Salita Promotions.

This is a fascinating piece of news for several reasons. One being that no female boxer has ever made this sort of money inside the ring.

What's more, Shields is now the first fighter or athlete promoted by Wynn Records, which is best known for being a music promotion agency. The goal for this partnership is "to blend boxing, culture, and music to elevate the sport and its athletes beyond the traditional sports pages," according to Dmitri Salita, owner of Salita Promotions.

While specific details about what this partnership will entail are still unclear, one thing that's for sure is that it will not include a fight with boxing legend Laila Ali.

After years of back-and-forth between Shields and Ali (specifically with Shields trying to entice Ali, who hasn't fought since 2007, out of retirement), Ali made it clear she wouldn't come out of retirement to fight Shields by saying on October 31, "So, did [Shields'] plan work? Did she make me mad enough to come out of retirement after 18 years and start training again, to make her dream of fighting me, and having a big payday, courtesy of Laila Ali, come true? Absolutely not."

"[Shields] will not be rewarded with the opportunity to share the ring with me, or anything else. There's your answer," Ali later added.

LAILA ALI, hall of fame boxer, speaking on a panel on August 24, 2023.
LAILA ALI, hall of fame boxer, speaking on a panel on August 24, 2023. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Claressa Shields Talks New Fight Contract, Laila Ali Fight Refusal

Shields was the guest on a November 10 episode of The Ariel Helwani Show. When asked about how many fights are included in the deal, she revealed it was four.

"If I do three fights next year, and then fight one the next year. However we can get four fights in within two years, honestly," Shields added, per an X post from Helwani.

She went on to note that she doesn't know when her next fight will be, but that "It will be an announcement in about two, three weeks."

When asked about Ali's recent fight refusal comments, Shields added, "She already declined it. So I don't want to talk about it anymore. It is what it is... She said no. That is perfectly fine. That is a-okay. It is other girls who are better than her, who are active, that I can fight against."

Shields later added, "[Ali] doesn't want to negotiate, she doesn't want to fight, and like I said, that is so beneath me now. And it has been beneath me. I pulled her card. She said no, she made hate documentaries. It is what it is. But your girl just signed for $8 million. $3 million signing bonus."

Shields doesn't sound too upset about this historic contract not including a with against Ali.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.