Claressa Shields has officially called out Keith Thurman for a fight at 154 lbs. This would be the first time in boxing history when a female fighter fights a male fighter.
In her reply to Thurman, Shields announced that she would wear headgear if they only sparred. However, in the context of a charity event, the current undisputed middleweight champion rather suggested that Thurman wear a “big cup” since she would likely punch ‘One Time’ as hard as Luis Collazo did. In fine, Shields declared she would “outbox” the male boxer at 154. In a follow-up, the 28-year-old has now even boldly predicted the result of her potential bout against Thurman.
Thurman replied to Shields and said he would consider a charity fight – which would see the GWOAT wear bigger gloves and head protection.
Additionally, he would be restricted to using his jab against the leading pound-for-pound female boxer.
Thurman finished by saying: ‘I don’t want to punch a girl in the face’. To which Shields replied: ‘Aww, Keith you are hilarious.’
The Olympic gold medalist added: ‘Yes, you are a man and champion, but you are not good enough to only use one hand on me.
‘Now for charity or raising money for a foundation, we can definitely do it. I’ll come in at 160 too, I’m actually bigger than you and taller.’
Shields has now revealed she has started camp. She Tweeted: ‘Camp started for Keith Thurman activated ! Let’s go. I’m gonna get in the gym with [former two-weight world champion] Shakur Stevenson to help me prepare.’
This is not the first time Shields has called out a male fighter. She previously challenged Jake Paul to a $100,000, six-round sparring session. The exchange started on Twitter when the self-proclaimed GWOAT responded to a post highlighting quotes from Errol Spence Jr – who lost his unified welterweight titles in a one-sided defeat by Terence Crawford at the weekend.
The Tweet revealed how Spence Jr had said: ‘I didn’t even feel like even considering Keith Thurman as an opponent.’ On being informed about Shields’ call-out, Thurman, who considers himself head and shoulders above the former, said, “You know, I wouldn’t wear bigger gloves; I would wear smaller gloves, and I would let her wear headgear too. I don’t wanna punch a girl in the face.” However, Shields believes she can come off with flying colors. Recently, Brandon Robinson, the host of the Scoop B Podcast, asked Shields on Twitter about the number of rounds she believed she could potentially win against Thurman. In this context, prior to Shields’ reply to Robinson, it is worth mentioning that other than the bout against Manny Pacquiao, Thurman didn’t lose to anyone he faced inside the pro ring.
