Claressa Shields doesn’t believe there’s a woman on earth who can beat her, but even if she found herself standing across the ring from a man, she isn’t convinced she would have too many issues.
The former three-division undisputed beltholder was recently asked to give her opinion on how things would play out if she fought a man. Not only does she have faith in her skills against a no-name male, but she also has a feeling that she can take down a current champion.
“I’ll beat Rolly, and he’s a world champion,” Shields said of
Rolly Romero on The Justin Laboy Show. “Listen, I think Rolly is very unorthodox, very strong, but I’m way taller than him, way longer than him, and got better skills. He can’t beat me in a fight.”
Although
Shields’ confidence is sky-high, her words weren’t exactly correct. The undisputed women's heavyweight champion is only one inch taller than Romero (17-2, 13 KOs). Also, both have a 68-inch arm reach.
Still, despite the closeness of their physical attributes, Shields (17-0, 3 KOs) took things further, pointing to their weight classes.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist nabbed two wins this year as a heavyweight, beating Danielle Perkins and
Lani Daniels on points. She's also set to
defend her undisputed throne against Franchon Crews Dezurn on February 22 at Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit.
Romero, on the other hand, beat Ryan Garcia for a version of the WBA 147-pound title on May 2. He was later elevated to full champion once Jaron Ennis moved up to junior middleweight.
Considering the massive difference in weight, Shields believes that if they fought, it would play a major factor.
“I walk around at 185, he fights at 147,” Shields said. “It’s hard for somebody smaller to hurt somebody bigger.”