A heavyweight sponsor makes the heavyweight GWOAT! Claressa Shields is now a four-weight champion after knocking out Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse on Saturday. After moving up two weight classes, the newly crowned WBC heavyweight champion flexed her title from the fourth and fifth division on X. And she threw in heartfelt gratitude to the people who supported her throughout the way. Among Shields’ biggest cheerleaders has always been Shaquille O’Neal. The combat sports maniac has touted Claressa as the most dominant woman in the ring. He doesn’t just hype her on social media. He was confident enough to put his money where his mouth was.

With her belts hanging off her arms, the GWOAT wrote on X, “YEAHHHH GWOAT 15-0, 3KOS Thank you to all my sponsors @SNACsystem, @SHAQ, @area56ent & @ivhydrationandaesthetics.”

Her boxing gear boasts Shaq.com among her other sponsors. It’s clear evidence that O’Neal backed his favorite boxer in a big way. As she wrote, she capped her victory with another TKO. It was the opening combination in the first round that’s a viral scene on social media right now.

DJ Diesel is currently going through Europe on the Summer of Bass tour but you know he’d be chuffed that Shields joins Roy Jones Jr. as one of the two boxers in more than 100 years to win middleweight and heavyweight titles. She’s cemented her undeniable legacy in the sporting world and counts herself among Shaq’s faves.

“If you want to put me up there next to Michael Jordan, Kobe [Bryant], Serena Williams, Muhammad Ali, I’m definitely in that conversation,” the 29-year-old said after her win. It comes on the heels of another spectacular notch in her career. That was a win O’Neal celebrated like his own too.

Shaquille O’Neal is a one-man hype squad

Shields defended her middleweight title against Maricela Cornejo a year ago. Shaq, Conor McGregor, and so many other sports superstars celebrated the GWOAT’s jaw-dropping bout. In his usual style, O’Neal silently shared the highlights of her match and let that do the talking.

He’s been there during the lows too. She won against Savannah Marshall in 2022 but the latter left her sore with trash talk. When there was speculation of a rematch, one a certain faction claimed Shields would lose, O’Neal shared a reminder of why Shields is still the reigning GWOAT. Shaq is not only her best hypeman and sponsor.

He’s willing to take on a few trolls or two as well. When Shields clapped back at a hater recently, O’Neal reshared her response as a warning to others too. We only need Shaq’s response to her biggest achievement yet. After all, when it comes to Claressa Shields, he enjoys a bit an ‘I told you so.’

Stay tuned for more such updates. Join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.