“What the hell are you talking about?!”
In life, often times even the squeaky wheel doesn’t get any grease. Such is the case with unified middleweight champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (10-0, 2 KO’s). The gifted Flint, Michigan native has very vocally and physically been pursuing a fight with undisputed welterweight champion “First Lady” Cecilia Braekhus (36-0, 9 KO’s). Yet despite showing initial interest, Braekhus seems to have lost desire in the hypothetical prizefight.
Instead of going to battle with Shields, Braekhus is set to face WBC super lightweight champion Jessica “CASKilla” McCaskill (8-2, 3 KO’s) in her next outing. The winner of Braekhus v McCaskill is forecasted to face the victor of undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (15-0, 6 KO’s) versus WBO world featherweight champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano (38-1-1, 28 KO’s).
Since news of these plans have gone public, Braekhus has been heard to call it a ‘mini-tournament’. Clearly, Shields has taken issue with not getting a fight with Braekhus and the welterweight champion calling her current situation a ‘mini-tournament.’
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!
In addition to downplaying the validity of the would-be four-woman tournament, Shields has called the First Lady’s heart into question.
“She is a good champion but she is such a coward! I just can’t stand people like that who throw bricks but hide they hands. Saying, ‘I don’t know why she feels that way about me, I don’t know why she this, I don’t know why she that’, and it’s like, yes you do!
…and I am going to just throw it out there, what mini-tournament is she talking about?! Her, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, look I haven’t heard Eddie Hearn say it’s a mini-tournament. So I don’t know why she gets to make up shit and be like, ‘oh yeah, I think the mini-tournament between me, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano is more important than the fight with me and Claressa Shields’.
What the hell are you talking about?! Every girl you’re talking about fighting has to come up in weight to fight you. Every last one of them!”
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
So when reviewing the situation, Shields is left with a greatly exaggerated bad taste in her mouth. First, T-Rex is upset at not being able to secure a fight she wants. That bad taste is complicated by the fact that she feels her would-be opponent is trying to feast on smaller fighters. Obviously, Shields doesn’t have respect for either aspect of the unsavory dilemma.
“Yeah, Katie and Amanda, what are they at what 130, 135? So Katie […], I don’t know if she is going to go to 147 or they are going to meet at 140, who knows? But also Amanda Serrano get as small as 118 and she has fought as big as 140, but she has only had one fight at 140. So it’s like you’re calling out all these small girls but talking trash about me calling you out after I am the one who have lost all this weight.”
In the end however, no matter how distasteful or cowardly she feels Braekhus is moving, Shields is still very much interested in the fight. So much so that T-Rex has a plan on forcing her hand in the very near future.
“After I beat Hanna Gabriels again, I want to go to 147 and fight against whoever is the number two girl at 147, beat her and then become a mandatory to fight against Cecilia Braekhus for one of her belts. And then either she is going to fight me or she going to vacate the damn belt, that’s it!”
So while for the moment it seems like Braekhus is not thinking about Shields, without question T-Rex is still very determined to get her hands on the First Lady! Guess we’ll just have to wait and see how this plays out.
By: Bakari Simpson
