Sorry, Claressa Shields, Rolando Romero’s schedule is spread too thin right now. A matchup with a woman—for that matter, even a champion—is not really on his radar. Amid growing reports about a potential matchup against WBO champ Devin Haney, the WBA welterweight champion was caught off guard. Shields claimed she could easily beat him up.

Coming off a dominant victory over Ryan Garcia last May, Rolando Romero finds himself at a vantage point with multiple potential fights on the horizon. While talks about a bout with Haney have gained momentum, a rematch with Garcia has also come up for consideration. Being in the crosshairs of Claressa Shields is the last thing Romero wants, especially as he looks to take his career to a new level. Speaking with Ring Magazine CEO Rick Reeno, he reflected on Shields’ frequent callouts.

“I don’t know why specifically it’s me,” he said on the ‘Mr. Verzace Podcast.’ “I think, of course, she is the greatest fighter of all time. The greatest female fighter of all time. There’s no ifs, buts, or questions about that. But I don’t know why she always targets me.”

His comment made Reeno recall Shields’ previous callout to Keith Thurman. Three years ago, the two-time Olympic gold medalist and the former welterweight title holder exchanged words. Thurman reportedly agreed to a face-off for a charity fundraiser. Now, years later, Shields has shifted her sights on him, which left Romero confused.

“Yeah, I never understood that one either,” he said. “But at the end of the day, I don’t care. She and I will never be in a ring. I do not hate women. She’s great. She’s great, but there are males and females, and it’s divided for a reason.”

Rolly Romero’s latest predicament stems from Claressa Shields’ comments on the Justin Laboy Show this past December. When asked if there’s a male world champion whom she felt she could defeat easily, Shields took Rolando Romero’s name.

Clashing champions: Claressa Shields and Rolando Romero

“I’d beat Rolly; he’s a world champion,” she replied. “It’s not about I think Rolly is very unorthodox. He’s very strong, right? But I’m way taller than him, way longer than him, and have better boxing skills.”

Later, she reiterated her old claim about having better skills than Keith Thurman. Shields’s arguments about being a better boxer than Rolly Romero ended up in a heated debate with Shannon Sharpe as well.

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“Listen, guys that really know how to box, I would tell you that they can do what they can do, that they are better boxers or more skilled or powerful, whatever, than me and you—Rolly is not,” she responded when Sharpe argued that Romero would beat her.

Trying to gauge his thoughts, Shannon Sharpe took up the matter with Romero as well.

“I just don’t hit women,” Romero said on the Night Cap when asked about the Shields callout. “It’s not even about the money. Twenty million [dollars], thirty million, a hundred million—I wouldn’t sell myself to go hit a woman…. It’s not in my moral compass to go hit a woman.”

For the record, it would not be the first time Romero and Shields traded words. Three years ago, Shields fired back at the welterweight champion when he gave his two cents on the clip that showed Shields’ alleged knockdown from Arturs Ahmetovs, the man whom Rolly later defeated. As a result, Romero later withdrew the tweet, saying he doesn’t want any problem with the multi-division champion.

Let’s face it, Romero and Shields are never going to face off. While the talks and call-outs may eventually die down, this situation once again highlights how the fight game is perceived across genders.