clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Claressa Shields says she’ll have MMA fight at end of the year

But first, Shields is set to take on Ivana Habazin in a women’s boxing match this Friday.

Wil Esco is an assistant editor of Bad Left Hook and has been covering boxing for SB Nation since 2014.

Fight Hub TV was on hand for Claressa Shields’ final press conference before she faces Ivana Habazin this Friday night on Showtime. Interestingly enough, during this press conference Shields says she’d welcome a fight against UFC’s Amanda Nunes (presumably in a boxing match) while also adding that she expects to make her crossover debut into MMA by the end of this year.

So when asked about what fight she’ll target next, assuming she beats Habazin, Shields responds:

“You already know I want to fight everybody, you know that. It don’t matter what weight, where we at, where we gotta go to fight — I want to fight. Just this year I’d love to fight at the Madison Square Garden, I would love to fight in Vegas whether I’m the main event or whether I’m the co-main.

“Like last year I built myself up very well when I became undisputed champ and then when I fought four times in 2018. Now it being 2020, I just want to establish myself and really become one of those mainstream boxers. Not just female boxer, but mainstream, like stuff that you don’t see. Like what you gonna see on January 10th — stuff that you don’t see. Me becoming three time division world champion faster than any male or female fighter in history.

“And then fast forward into a fight with the winner of Alica (Napoleon) and, I think her name is Elin (Cerderoos). So the winner of that and like I said, just broadening women’s boxing, making it bigger.

“But for Amanda Nunes, yeah, come. Come. ‘Cause you know she said she would fight me if they offer her $1M. Offer her $2M, just get her in the ring. Get her in the ring with me so they know I’m the baddest when it comes to throwing hands. Nobody can beat me in that. And as far as this year, I will be having my first MMA match at the end of the year. So I gotta lot of stuff that I got going on. I can do it all, I’m 24. I’m young, I’m hungry, and I’ll fight whoever.”

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the Bad Left Hook Daily Roundup newsletter!

A daily roundup of all your global boxing news from Bad Left Hook