Laila Ali Says ‘Absolutely Not’ To Claressa Shields $15M Fight Offer

Laila Ali has put to rest rumors about a potential comeback to face Claressa Shields for $15 million, and her answer is a firm “absolutely not.”

In part two of her “Set the Record Straight” message on her Laila Ali KO podcast, the undefeated boxing champion addressed Shields and explained why she won’t come out of her nearly 20-year retirement to face her. Ali stated that Shields has repeatedly disrespected her name and legacy as Muhammad Ali’s daughter, and she has no intention of giving Shields the “opportunity” to earn a big payday at her expense.

“So did her plan work? Did she make me mad enough to come out of retirement after 18 years and start training again to make her dream of fighting me and having a big payday courtesy of Laila Ali come true? Absolutely not,” Ali quipped in a reposted clip of the podcast.

“After years of blatant lies and vile disrespect, making unsolicited negative remarks about me, questioning the legitimacy of my boxing legacy, and having the audacity to cross the line by disrespecting my deceased father, trying to use his name to discredit his daughter.”

Ali also shared a clip of Shields referencing the late Muhammad Ali and seemingly suggesting that Laila doesn’t have the “genes” to match her skill in the ring.

“Muhammad Ali would never. Her daddy would never,” Shields said in the throwback clip. “Maybe she don’t have the genes.”

Following the clip, Ali made it clear why she has no plans of ever seeing Shields in the ring.

“She will not be rewarded with the opportunity to share the ring with me or anything else. There’s your answer,” Ali said.

Ali competed professionally from 1999 until retiring undefeated in 2007, capturing the WBC, WIBA, IWBF, and IBA female super middleweight titles, as well as the IWBF light heavyweight title. Shields, meanwhile, has won 18 major world championships across five weight classes and holds the record for becoming a two-, three-, four-, and five-division world champion in the fewest professional fights.

The Flint native has openly expressed her desire to face Ali, most recently offering a $15 million payday after Ali mentioned she might fight Shields for the right price. However, Ali has made it clear that she has no intention of accepting Shields’ challenge.

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