Claressa Shields has launched a pointed attack on Alycia Baumgardner's reluctance to face Caroline Dubois, suggesting the American champion is avoiding the British fighter out of fear of suffering a second professional defeat.
Baumgardner, who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring super featherweight titles, has repeatedly downplayed the prospect of meeting Dubois, dismissing such talk as premature and contending that the British rival has not yet reached her standard. Yet Dubois has shown no signs of backing away, maintaining her pursuit of the American ever since capturing the lightweight division with her triumph over Terri Harper in April.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Shields articulated her conviction that Baumgardner's reluctance stems from apprehension about risking her record.
Honestly, when you've got somebody five pounds bigger than you, beating down your door, barking up your tree, saying what they'll do to you, that they'll beat you up, they'll knock you out, they're calling you out constantly, you would think that Alycia would go up five pounds and just fight and prove her greatness,the multi-weight world champion explained.
I think that Baumgardner is 100 per cent scared of Caroline, and she doesn't want to risk her record now that she already has one loss on it. She doesn't want to risk it. I believe that Caroline will win that fight.
Baumgardner's next move involves stepping up to the lightweight division to challenge Elif Nur Turhan for her IBF title on November 8 in Arlington, Texas, according to ESPN. The bout, billed as MVPW-07 at College Park Center, could potentially pave the way for a showdown with Dubois further down the line. Baumgardner enters the Turhan fight as an 18-1, 7-KO fighter, moving up to 135 pounds in pursuit of a second division world title.
Dubois, meanwhile, is scheduled to face unbeaten former US Olympian Amelia Moore in the co-main event of MVPW-06 in Birmingham on August 29, alongside the headline clash between Mikaela Mayer and Chantelle Cameron, all broadcast live on Sky Sports. Baumgardner is expected to be ringside for Dubois' encounter with Moore, with the British fighter keen to secure victory and edge closer to a unification clash with the American.
The next GWOAT?
Having captured back-to-back Olympic gold medals, Shields has navigated an undefeated 19-fight career, accumulating world titles across multiple weight classes and declaring herself the Greatest Woman Of All Time. The question of who might inherit that mantle when Shields eventually hangs up her gloves remains open, but the American is already convinced she has identified her successor.
They asked me who I think is going to carry the torch once I'm gone and I was like, listen, it's going to be Caroline Dubois,Shields told Sky Sports.
I believe Gabriela Fundora will be a champion to be reckoned with but, right now, Caroline Dubois is right there.
She's calling out the biggest girls, the best girls, she's trying to make the best fights. She's confident. She's loud. She's mean. She's getting knockouts. She's right on time.
Dubois, the unified WBC and WBO lightweight world champion, has emerged as one of the hottest prospects in British and women's boxing. Her record stands at 13-0-1, and she will pursue undisputed status with a win over Moore in Birmingham. Shields has taken considerable interest in Dubois' trajectory and has pledged her support as the British fighter continues her ascent.
Caroline has her own name,Shields said.
If she wants to be called the GWOAT, and she's breaking the records and got the accolades, I'm not going to be mad about it, as long as she's doing GWOAT things, she's fighting the best fighters, and she's winning, and she's racking up the belts.
I know that my accomplishments are going to be hard to beat. I just became a 21-time world champion last week, but Caroline has the IT factor, and she'll fight anybody.
Support and mentorship
Shields has made clear her willingness to assist Dubois in her continued development, offering both practical and strategic guidance.
I'm going to be there supporting her. If she ever needs me in camp, or anything, she knows that I'll be there. We always joke about sparring; one day it's going to happen.
She's already asked me [for advice], and I've already given it to her. I just told her to have fun with her career, make her career about her, do whatever she wants to do, and always prepare and never underestimate her opponents.
The mentorship reflects Shields' confidence in Dubois' potential to reshape women's boxing. Dubois has previously stated that Baumgardner had "absolutely nobody" to fight after failed pursuit of bigger-name opponents, framing a potential matchup as a major crossroads fight for both competitors. For her part, Baumgardner had publicly stated in April that she was "not" fighting Dubois in 2026 and that the financial terms would need to be substantial for the bout to materialise.
What happens next
Dubois will take centre stage on August 29 when she faces Moore in Birmingham as part of the MVPW-06 card. Should she emerge victorious, attention will inevitably turn to whether Baumgardner will finally accept the challenge that has been laid at her door. Baumgardner's November 8 showdown with Turhan in Arlington will follow, with the outcome potentially reshaping the landscape of women's lightweight boxing and determining whether a meeting between the two champions becomes inevitable.
