Claressa Shields, the undisputed women’s heavyweight champion, recounted a bizarre encounter that occurred during the Terence Crawford vs. Canelo Alvarez fight on September 13 at Allegiant Stadium.
The evening, intended as a celebration of Crawford‘s historic achievement as the first man in the four-belt era to claim undisputed status in three weight classes, took an unexpected turn for Shields.
While socializing with notable figures including J Prince and Abdullah Mason, Shields was approached by a man who mistakenly addressed her as Serena Williams.
“At first, I was like, huh?” Shields said. “The way he said it, I knew he knew I wasn’t Serena. Like, you know damn well my name is not Serena. And when have you ever seen Serena with orange hair?”
The encounter escalated when the man appeared to record Shields with glasses, prompting her partner, Papoose, to intervene as the boxer described the situation in detail, leaving her surprised.
“Pap told him to move or just to chill out,” Shields said. “And the dude started getting smart with Pap. It was weird. It was like bro, if you don’t gone somewhere…
“Where you all get off with them glasses, you’ll be having on? Glasses that be recording people. Where you all get off with that? Is that even legal? I think he was just trying to go viral, but if he did, it was going to be in a bad way.
“Pap definitely do not play around. I know Pap got the hand. So you all can just put two and two together about what happened, but he don’t take no disrespect. I don’t take no disrespect. But I block people like that.”
Shields emphasized that the incident was less about personal conflict and more about deterring people seeking viral attention.
She credited Papoose for his protective response, highlighting the couple’s supportive dynamic both in and outside of boxing.
Claressa Shields next fight: Will American boxer be back in action in 2025?
Shields stepped back into the ring on Saturday, July 26, defending her undisputed women’s heavyweight titles against Lani Daniels at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, with another win to her name.
Shields, now 17-0 with 3 KOs, dominated in front of a home-state crowd of more than 15,000 spectators, securing a decisive victory over Daniels via unanimous decision (100-90, 99-91, 99-91).
This victory allowed her to retain the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, and WBF belts while preserving her perfect record. It was her second fight of the year, further solidifying her status as the undisputed champion.
As for her next bout, Shields currently does not have a scheduled fight. Based on her past activity, it remains uncertain whether she will compete again before the end of 2025.
Her last post-July appearance prior to this year was in October 2022, when she faced Savannah Marshall. Before that, she had not fought in the latter half of a year since taking on Femke Hermans in December 2018.
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