7 Years After Being Disappointed by Her Childhood Idol Serena Williams, Undefeated World Champion Equates Herself With Tennis Icon During Michael Jordan-Terence Crawford Debate

On July 29, Terence Crawford marked a significant milestone. With his victory over Errol Spence Jr., he attained the undisputed title in two weight divisions for the first time among men. Claressa Shields had already achieved the feat. Claressa Shields became the undisputed Middleweight champion in 2019. Then two years later, she also became the undisputed Light Middleweight champion. Just last year on June 3, she defended her Middleweight title successfully as well.

As Crawford’s victory sparked a new round of debates in the boxing world, comparisons and analogies abounded. In response to one such comparison made by Shakur Stevenson, Shields caught the attention of fans when she equated herself to a sports icon she once disapproved of.

Claressa Shields equates herself to Serena Williams 

Crawford has undoubtedly etched his name among the greatest fighter of modern times. His long-time mentee, former Super Featherweight champion, and Olympic silver medalist Shakur Stevenson quipped on Twitter whether Crawford could be the Michael Jordan of boxing given his achievements, “Is Bud the Micheal Jordan of boxing?“

The post is already touching nearly a million views. Claressa Shields was among those who responded to this comparison. She replied that if ‘Bud’ could be the Michael Jordan of boxing, she could be labeled the Serena Williams of boxing. Her comment was a strong statement that implied that she was second to none. She said, “Yeah, and I’m the Serena Williams.“

But to many fans, this comparison might come as a complete surprise. According to a 2018 article in Detroit Free Press, while talking about sports role models in an interview, Shields recalled meeting tennis icon Serena Williams at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. She said, “Well, one used to be Serena Williams. She used to be. I was able to meet Serena at the 2016 Olympics. She was just not nice. For me to look up to her like I did when I was a kid and then meet her in person and see how she’s not fan-friendly (that was upsetting).”

Read More: “This Is a Step Backwards for Women’s Boxing”: Influencer Boxer Flashing on Live TV Raises Female World Champions Claressa Shields and Ebanie Bridges Eyebrows

A superstar’s undoing

According to the world champion boxer, she (Williams) treated people poorly at the Olympics. This disappointed her a lot. Barely a month before the article came out, the United States Tennis Association had imposed a fine of $17,000 on Serena Williams for breaking up her racket and lashing out at an umpire during her match against Naomi Osaka at the 2018 US Open.

Do you agree with the statements made by Shakur Stevenson and Claressa Shields? Please share your thoughts and views with us in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Five potential opponents for Terence Crawford after the dominant win against Errol Spence Jr.