The unexpected feud between Claressa Shields and Jake Paul has been simmering for months. And now, Shields is making that she’s not interested in working with Paul or his MVP promotion. Their rivalry started brewing after Paul’s win over Mike Tyson in November, a highly publicized and polarizing event that rubbed more than a few people the wrong way. One of them was Shields.
“I know that I can whip Jake Paul, and people who are against that are just sexist and they don’t know boxing,” she said, taking a public shot at the YouTuber-turned-boxer. Jake Paul didn’t let that one go unanswered. On the All The Smoke Fight podcast in January, he fired back, calling her a “bitter, jealous loser. And no one likes her.”
The GWOAT controversy and an escalating war of words
But the latest chapter in their beef might be the most damaging one. Claressa Shields recently appeared on Fight Hub TV, addressing her overturned marijuana charge from her February 2nd fight in Flint, Michigan.
However, in between reflecting on her legal victory and sharing thoughts on the Amanda Serrano vs. Katie Taylor trilogy, she dropped a powerful accusation against Paul.
“Jake Paul don’t like me, I don’t like him,” Shields said, getting straight to the point.
The Olympic gold medalist believes Paul has not only failed to give her the respect she deserves but has actively undermined her legacy.
“He’s never given me props since he came in the game,” she explained. The main issue? Shields claims Paul and his team tried to steal the “GWOAT” title-a moniker she built from the ground up-to rebrand Amanda Serrano as the sport’s premier female boxer.
“He has tried to steal my name,” Shields said. “And gave it to Amanda Serrano when I built the name up. I am the name. I have the accolades for it.”
Shields has long used the acronym “GWOAT”-Greatest Woman of All Time-as part of her identity and brand. So when MVP, Jake Paul‘s promotional company, referred to Serrano as the “GWOAT” in a promotional poster, Shields felt disrespected on a fundamental level.
“You’re trying to come and just give her my sh*t and just say like, ‘Forget me. I don’t matter. She’s the GWOAT. She’s the real GWOAT,'” Shields vented, visibly frustrated.
“I already had shared the title with her willingly. Already because she fought at the smaller weight classes.
“I just found it very disrespectful.”
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