Laila Ali Names Her Price To Consider Fighting Claressa Shields
If fight fans and boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh want to see Laila Ali and Claressa Shields in a ring, it's going to cost them a pretty penny.
Ali was a part of Netflix's streaming crew for Friday night's historic, all women's boxing event headlined by Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano's third fight. Ali did a fantastic job with her analysis and her presence was great considering the role she played as a pioneer of women's boxing. While Ali spoke about Taylor-Serrano and the other fights on the card, you knew boxing media wouldn't let her escape without bringing up the possibilities of a fight between her and Shields.
According to Ali who spoke to reporters from FightHype, it would take $15-$20 million dollars to get her to consider returning to the ring. Here's a look at the interview.
A fight between Ali and Shields would do huge numbers. The two women are arguably the most popular women ever in the sport, and the real-life beef would only make this a stronger draw. Alalshikh is probably the only person on the planet with the means and potential interest to fund such an event.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 16: Claressa Shields attends the 2024 Women's Sports Foundation's ... More Annual Salute To Women In Sports at Cipriani Wall Street on October 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor WSF)
Shields has notoriously beefed with most of the big names in women's boxing, including Serrano. And as I wrote earlier this year, it's been good for the sport.
According to Yahoo! Sports' Shanelle Genai, who chronicled the beef between the two icons, the Shields-Ali tension stems from a mentor-turned-rival dynamic that soured as the two stars grew apart.
Shields has openly voiced her frustrations about how Ali has downplayed her accomplishments, while Ali has suggested that Shields needs to 'humble herself.' Those words stung hard enough that Shields once called Ali 'the most hated' woman in boxing.
Ali is 47 and Shields is 30. Considering the massive age gap and the fact that Ali hasn't competed in 18 years, I'd still call this an unlikely occurrence. However, the kind of money Ali mentioned changes things.
Women's boxing is on a historic rise—and no one commands headlines like these two. Just the idea of a super-fight between generations has already stirred the pot. And with Netflix, Alalshikh, and other financial power players proving they'll invest in spectacle, the money might not be as far-fetched as it once seemed.
We'll see what Shields has to say in response to Ali's asking price, or if it's something she ignores while preparing for her next fight on July 26 against Lani Daniels. In case you missed it, here is a look at all of the results from Netflix's huge all-women's boxing event.
Full Taylor-Serrano 3 Card Results
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