Boxing's Battle of the Sexes? Claressa Shields calls out Jake Paul, skewers YouTuber

Claressa Shields, the most decorated woman in boxing history, says she can whip Jake Paul’s, uh, derriere. While talking about her hopes of fighting the social media star, she targeted others, too.

Specifically, anyone who would object to the fight.

"People who are against that are just sexist and they don't know boxing," Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and 15-0 as a pro, told USA TODAY Sports. "It's very strange to me that they think that a YouTuber can beat a woman boxer who has two Olympic gold medals, (multiple) world titles and fought as a heavyweight."

Suggesting those who think Paul would win simply because he’s a man, Shields added, "Get the (expletive) out of here. Stop it.."

Shields, 29, is 5-foot-8 and is expected to weigh in at about 175 pounds for her second consecutive heavyweight bout. Paul, 27, is 6-1 and has fought mostly as a cruiserweight, which has a 200-pound maximum at weigh-in.

A representative for Paul did not return requests for comment made by USA TODAY Sports via email and text message.

Abel Sanchez, an accomplished retired boxing trainer, is among those dismissing the idea of Shields fighting Paul – or men fighting women.

"I think that (the) women's boxing movement is set back by ridiculous claims this young lady keeps making," Sanchez said by text message. "She takes away from her own accomplishments. She seems to think fight fans are stupid."

But Teddy Atlas, a boxing analyst and retired trainer, said he wouldn't rule out the idea of a man fighting a woman -- including Shields against Paul.

"Her skill level and physical abilities and his lack of experience make it a consideration or worthy of consideration,'' Atlas said by text message. "But it cannot be overlooked how much bigger he is and with that how much physically stronger he'd be.''

That said, Atlas made reference to Shields getting knocked down by a male sparring partner in 2018. The moment was captured on videotape.

"If looking to go down this road (to Shields fighting Paul), it must be factored in,'' Atlas said.

Boxing's Battle of the Sexes

A matchup between Paul and Shields would not be the first time a man and woman had fought in a sanctioned pro bout. That took place in 1999, when Margaret MacGregor of Washington fought Loi Chow of Canada.

MacGregor won the four-round, super featherweight bout by unanimous decision. She could not be reached for comment.

But Sue Fox, founder of Women Boxing Archive Network, said she does not expect Shields to fight Paul – or for more women to fight men. MacGregor fought a man because she couldn’t find female opponents, according to Fox.

"So, no, I don’t see that happening with Shields," Fox said.

Shields has no trouble finding opponents in the women's division and told USA TODAY Sports she’ll make more than a $1 million for her upcoming fight.

Paul has no trouble finding opponents either and said he would make $40 million for his fight against Mike Tyson. Paul won that bout by unanimous decision Nov. 20 and improved to 11-1 with seven knockouts.

What else Shields had to say

Shields was not impressed with Paul’s performance against Tyson.

"Jake Paul showed that he has not gotten better with his skills," she said. "He needs to train harder and better. And honestly, I think the girl that I'm getting ready to fight against, Danielle Perkins, can beat Jake Paul, too."

Shields’ beef with Paul appears to stem in part from Paul having picked Savannah Marshall to beat Shields in 2022. The only defeat of Shields' career came against Marshall as an amateur in 2012 at the world championships.

Shields avenged the loss by beating Marshall by unanimous decision.

"(Paul) tried to apologize and all that other type of stuff after he picked Savannah to beat me in a fight," Shields said. "But (expletive) that apology. Fight me."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Claressa Shields calls out Jake Paul. Boxing's Battle of the Sexes?