Alycia Baumgardner does not believe Claressa Shields is the best women’s boxer in the world. The unified super featherweight champion made that position clear on The Ariel Helwani Show ahead of her MVPW-02 title defense on Friday, going further by naming Michaela Mayer as someone she believes would beat Shields outright.
“My opinion is Michaela Mayer would beat Clarissa Shields,” Baumgardner said. “I think skills matter. The skill set, the grit, the experience. Michaela Mayer and I fought in London, amazing fight. We sold that show. Nobody was tuning in for Clarissa Shields and Savannah Marshall. It was Alicia Baumgardner and Michaela Mayer that sold that show at the O2 Arena.”
Baumgardner drew a distinction between Shields’ accomplishments and her actual ability, making clear she respects the resume without accepting the conclusion that it makes Shields the best.
“Clarissa thinks she’s the best in the world. She truly believes that. I don’t think she is,” Baumgardner said. “I think she’s the most accomplished, but I don’t think she’s the best. I believe that Michaela Mayer has the skills to beat Clarissa Shields due to her experience in boxing, her loss, and her character build.”
She also questioned Shields’ conditioning and commitment to making weight for bigger fights, issuing a direct challenge to her preparation habits.
“How dedicated are you? Get a nutritionist,” Baumgardner said. “I’ve never seen that girl come to weigh-ins with abs at all, and I don’t know if that’s AI, so you can’t tell me. I’ve never seen her come to weigh-ins in tip-top shape. If you want those big fights, come down to the weight class and get a nutritionist. It’s not hard. Fighters do it all the time.”
When the conversation turned to pound-for-pound rankings, Baumgardner dismissed the concept entirely, saying external validation plays no role in how she measures herself.
“These are people who come together at the kitchen table to make a list. I do not care about that list,” she said. “I don’t move off other people’s validation for me, their expectations for me. I know what I do on a daily basis. Baby, I make my own list. I’m pound-for-pound 1 through 10.”
Baumgardner defends her WBA, IBF, and WBO super featherweight titles against Bo Mi Re Shin at MVPW-02 on Friday, live on ESPN at 10 PM ET.
