Claressa Shields is not staying quiet after being banned from all Most Valuable Promotions events following her heated confrontation with fellow boxing champion Alycia Baumgardner.
The drama unfolded during MVP’s inaugural MMA event on Saturday night, where tensions between the two fighters spilled out of the ring and into a private VIP section. Video from the incident quickly circulated online, showing Shields and Baumgardner in a tense exchange, with Shields allegedly hitting Baumgardner, before security stepped in to separate them. While Baumgardner responded verbally during the confrontation, reports noted that she did not physically retaliate.
Soon after the footage spread online, MVP announced that Shields had been banned from attending all company events moving forward. The promotion company described the incident as unacceptable and emphasized its stance against aggressive behavior at its events.
But Shields made it clear she was not accepting the narrative quietly.
Taking to X shortly after the ban announcement, the undefeated boxing star accused MVP of disrespecting her long before the altercation happened. “Now, to MVP, y’all tried to sign me, I declined! You can not ban me from a place I didn’t want to be!” Shields wrote. “I can go fight anywhere in the world tomorrow!”
The two-time Olympic gold medalist also pushed back against criticism surrounding the incident and accused the promotion company of attempting to diminish her accomplishments in women’s boxing. Shields claimed MVP consistently overlooked her contributions to the sport while uplifting other fighters.
“Calling y’all fighters ‘the Real GWOAT,’ overlooking my accomplishments, trying to erase my hard work in women’s boxing & constantly trying to assassinate my character with lies,” she wrote.
Shields continued by defending her reputation and explaining that she believed the online footage did not show the full story behind the confrontation. “I do not condone violence. I never have,” she stated. “But I am also not someone who will stand in silence while continuously being verbally attacked, threatened, discriminated against or assassinate my character.”
The champion boxer also denied that the situation had anything to do with envy or colorism, insisting there was a documented history between her and Baumgardner that led up to the moment. She described her actions as self-protection rather than aggression and warned that future “false allegations” or “defamation” would be addressed by her legal team.
“I stand on integrity. I stand on what I’ve built,” Shields added. “I’m a champion. I carry that everywhere I go.”
The feud between Shields and Baumgardner has been simmering publicly for quite some time, with both fighters exchanging sharp comments online and in interviews. Saturday’s backstage clash, however, marked the first time their rivalry turned physical in such a public setting.
For now, the fallout continues to keep boxing fans talking as the tension between two of women’s boxing’s biggest names shows no signs of cooling off anytime soon.
