Claressa Shields Calls For Former Heavyweight Champ’s Retirement After Exciting Fight
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CARDIFF, WALES - APRIL 04: Claressa Shields in attendance during the Lauren Price vs Stephanie Pineiro Aquino: Awaken The Dragon fight night at Utilita Arena Cardiff on April 04, 2026 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesHIGHLIGHTS
- A congratulatory message came with a bold piece of advice.
- The woman behind the post has a history of sharing opinions on the men's game.
- Major paydays could keep one fighter from following the advice.
Claressa Shields wants Deontay Wilder to retire from boxing.
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Shields is a student of the game. She watches a ton of fights. Every weekend, if you follow her on social media, you'll see her dropping her takes on the sport's top cards. On Saturday, she was pulling double duty.
She was in Cardiff for Lauren Price's unanimous decision win over Stephanie Pineiro Aquino (Shields faced off with Price after the fight teasing an upcoming bout) and she was watching as Wilder earned a split-decision win over Derek Chisora at the O2 Arena in Greenwich. Shields took to X with a congratulatory message and some advice.
“Split Decision for Wilder!!!!! Congrats @BronzeBomber !!! Now Retire on a Win!!!”
The post was met with some criticism and agreement from fight fans on social media.
Does Shields Have a Point?
Shields isn't off base here.
Wilder looked better on Saturday than he has in each of his last five fights. He was a bit more poised and his cardio appeared to be in a better place. That said, he was in against an opponent who needs to hang up the gloves definitively, so we have to consider everything in the equation.
However, there are some major paydays still within Wilder's reasonable reach, and it may be hard for him to walk away from those. Francis Ngannou and Moses Itauma are both potential opponents that have been mentioned in connection with Wilder.
What's the Shields-Wilder Dynamic?
Shields is always vocal about fighters, male and female. It's not strange to hear her voicing her opinion on the men's game. Whether Wilder heeds her advice remains to be seen, but everything he said after the fight suggests he plans to fight on for a while.
Last week, Shields slammed Keith Thurman after his TKO loss to Sebastian Fundora. The tone was different with Wilder. The Thurman post was a jab. The Wilder post was a congratulatory message with genuine advice.
What Did Wilder Say After the Fight?
Wilder made it clear he isn't thinking about retirement. He told reporters after the split decision that he still has goals in the heavyweight division and wants bigger fights.
The 40-year-old improved to 45-4-1 with 43 KOs. His power remains his calling card, but the split decision over a 42-year-old Chisora raises questions about where he fits in a division that includes Usyk, Fury, Dubois and Itauma.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com