Key Takeaways
- Alycia Baumgardner says she’s moving past her feud with Claressa Shields, telling Bleacher Report, “I have so much bigger fights to entertain than her.”
- Baumgardner predicts a knockout against IBF lightweight champion Elif Nur Turhan at MVPW-07, where she’ll pursue a second-division world title over 10 three-minute rounds.
- Her comments follow a May confrontation that prompted Most Valuable Promotions to ban Shields from its events after video appeared to show her slapping Baumgardner’s hand away.
Alycia Baumgardner has no interest in revisiting her feud with Claressa Shields, and she's making it clear that her longtime rival isn't part of her plans. With another world championship within reach, Baumgardner is leaving their highly publicized confrontation behind and focusing on bigger opportunities.
"I'm doing my thing. She's doing her thing. And that's that," Baumgardner told Bleacher Report. "I have so much bigger fights to entertain than her."
But Baumgardner wasn't finished dismissing Shields. The 32-year-old, who faces IBF lightweight champion Elif Nur Turhan at MVPW-07, suggested that Shields doesn't belong on the platform she's creating for herself. "I'm in my own lane doing my own thing, creating my own stage, and she can't even fit," she said. "I don't even see her fitting on that type of stage with me."
The remarks come as Baumgardner prepares to headline Sunday's ESPN event in Arlington, Texas, where she has a chance to become a two-division world champion.
Baumgardner (18-1, 7 KOs) has been building that platform by challenging conventions in women's boxing. Her championship bout against Turhan will feature 10 three-minute rounds, rather than the traditional two-minute format.
She previously defended her titles under 12-round championship rules on the Netflix card headlined by Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua last December, becoming just the second female unified champion to do so.
"To have to rush in two minutes is a bit annoying, so three minutes really breaks down the fighter," she explained. "I'm a fighter with skills, I have a toolbox, and so it's nice that I can break down a fighter."
And while Shields has long proclaimed herself the face of women's boxing, Baumgardner believes she's already earned that distinction through more than championship belts.
"What makes me the face of women's boxing already is what I'm doing and how I'm doing things," she said. "I'm setting the stage of bringing hooks and looks to the stage, the beauty and the beast, the femininity."
Baumgardner also pointed to her fashion, signature hairstyles, and weigh-in appearances as part of the identity she's established outside the ring.
The latest comments follow a confrontation between the champions at MVP MMA 1 in Los Angeles in May. Video showed the two exchanging words before Shields appeared to slap Baumgardner's hand away inside a private VIP section.
Most Valuable Promotions subsequently banned Shields from its events until further notice, declaring that physical altercations outside competition were unacceptable.
Baumgardner characterized the incident as an unprovoked assault and said the matter would be handled legally. Shields disputed her account, claiming Baumgardner had threatened her beforehand. Their disagreement followed years of public exchanges between the two fighters.
For now, Baumgardner has a different opponent to worry about. Despite moving up in weight to challenge Turhan, she believes her technical advantages will carry her to another championship. She's already discussed eventually competing at 140 pounds, though her immediate goal is to secure the lightweight title.
And after going without a stoppage victory since 2021, she's predicting an emphatic finish. "My prediction is a knockout," she said.
