Despite resumes that place them among the greatest female fighters in combat sports history, there is very little respect between Claressa Shields and Cris Cyborg.
Cyborg has won mixed martial arts championships in Strikeforce, UFC, Bellator and PFL. And she also has five wins in five trips to the boxing ring since turning professional in 2022. After scoring a first-round stoppage over the weekend, Cyborg took to X to take a shot at Shields, the undefeated phenom who has captured two Olympic gold medals and world championships in five weight classes.
“Only 5 boxing fights but I’ve already got more KO’s than [Claressa Shields],” Cyborg’s post read.
During an appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Shields addressed Cyborg’s post.
“She’s fighting bums in boxing and she’s yelling out, ‘Oh, I’ve got more knockouts than Claressa,'” Shields said. “Yeah, fighting against bums. She’ll never be able to get in the ring with a world champion and beat them.”
Shields and Cyborg have a history of calling each other out for fights, with both women crossing from their realm into the other’s at various points. While that has never led to a bout in either boxing or MMA, the pair did spar previously and Shields used…
