Claressa Shields says ’98 per cent of men in the world can’t beat me’ and only Muhammad Ali is ahead of her in GOAT row
CLARESSA SHIELDS reckons ’98 per cent of men in the world’ could not beat her.
And the boxing superstar believes she is the second greatest of all time – only behind Muhammad Ali.
Shields returns to the ring for the first time in 14 months on Friday night when she takes on Canadian Marie-Eve Dicaire in Michigan.
All the light-middleweight world titles will be on the line as the American tries to add the IBF, WBA and The Ring belts to her WBC and WBO crowns.
And speaking ahead of the blockbuster showdown, Shields – who has used her platform to speak up against racial and gender injustice – made the bold statements.
The self-titled GWOAT – greatest woman of all time – who promised to knock Jake Paul out said: “I don’t box for a hobby. It’s not a hobby. It’s my career, and I feel like people underestimate me when I speak about how great I am.
“But if I didn’t say how great I am, no one in this room would have ever called me great because they don’t recognise it. Only the greats know that they’re great.
“Like Muhammad Ali. Nobody called him the greatest of all time. They actually called him the ‘Louisville Lip’ because he talked too much.
“If he had never said he was the greatest of all time, he would have never been considered the greatest. No matter what boxer comes along, nobody can get in front of Muhammad Ali. That’s how I feel about myself.
“Muhammad Ali is first, and Claressa Shields is second. I am the greatest woman of all time, and 98 per cent of men in the world can’t beat me.”
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Shields, still only 25, burst on to the boxing scene as a teenager and claimed Olympic gold at London 2012 aged 17.
She backed that up at Rio four years later to become the first American – male or female – to win gold in back-to-back Games.
The 10-0 hero – who has ditched her old ‘T-Rex’ nickname and looks set to step to MMA this year – also set records for becoming a two-weight and three-weight world champ in the fewest number of fights.
Shields added: “I want you to know I’m not taking prisoners. This is a new era for me. My name from now on is Claressa ‘The Wolf’ Shields.
“‘T-Rex’ has long gone. ‘T-Rex’ was aggressive, but the greatest of all time has so much more. She possesses poise, power, and punch placement.
“In an interview, I saw [Dicaire] is not worried about the outcome – she’s worried about the task. Well, I’m worried about the outcome. I’ve known what the task is for the last 13 months.
“I’m concerned about the outcome because I don’t particularly appreciate losing. When I lost my first fight when I was 17, I didn’t sleep until I was 21 when I won my second Olympics. That’s how personally I take this fight.
“I’m hoping she can bring out a different side of me because many girls haven’t been able to take me to level three. I’m hoping she can take me to level ten.”