Verbal jabs are nothing new in boxing. You hype the fight, then settle it in the ring. But Jake Paul and Claressa Shields? Now that’s an unexpected rivalry. After Jake Paul took down Mike Tyson last November, it wasn’t just fans who were furious—Claressa Shields had something to say, too. “I know that I can whip Jake Paul, and people who are against that are just sexist and they don’t know boxing,” she said. But it wasn’t one-sided. Jake Paul clapped back hard during a January 28 episode of the All The Smoke Fight podcast, calling her a “bitter, jealous loser. And no one likes her.”

What fans didn’t expect, though, was that this beef would cost both of them big time. Not only is Claressa Shields at risk of losing a multi-million-dollar deal, by choosing never to work with Jake Paul’s MVP, but Jake Paul could be waving goodbye to a fight between one of his champions and Shields based on what the 30-year-old said recently.

What is Jake Paul accused of ‘stealing’ from Shields?

Just a few days ago, Claressa Shields sat down with Fight Hub TV and opened up about her recently overturned marijuana-related drug charge following her February 2nd women’s undisputed heavyweight title win against Danielle Perkins in her hometown. She also gave her take on the upcoming Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano trilogy in July. But in the middle of all that, she dropped a bomb—one aimed right at Jake Paul.

Claressa Shields is done with Jake Paul. And honestly, she’s not sugarcoating anything. In her own words, “Jake Paul don’t like me, I don’t like him.” Simple as that. T-Rex feels that Jake Paul has never once given her the credit she feels she deserves. “He’s never given me props since he came in the game,” the 16-0 boxer shared. And what really pushed her over the edge?

It’s the fact that Jake Paul stole a title that Claressa Shields herself built up. “He has tried to steal my name,” the GWOAT stated. “And gave it to Amanda Serrano when I built the name up.” The Flint, Michigan native clarified, “I am the name. I have the accolades for it.” Here she is referring to the acronym “GWOAT” (Greatest Woman Of All Time) which she popularized. However, in an MVP poster not long ago Amanda Serrano was referred to as the “GWOAT”. This unfortunately rubbed Shields the wrong way. Shields and Serrano even got into a verbal spat on X over the usage of the term.

Claressa Shields was visibly frustrated over The Problem Child’s actions as she said, “You’re trying to come and just give her my sh-t and just say like, ‘Forget me. I don’t matter. She’s the GWOAT. She’s the real GWOAT.'”

Now, let’s be clear: Claressa Shields respects Serrano. She even said, “I already had shared the title with her willingly. Already because she fought at the smaller weight classes.” But for the Cleaveland native to swoop in and act like Claressa Shield’s legacy doesn’t matter? That crossed the line for her.

The two-time gold-medal-winning Olympian made it loud and clear—“I just found it very disrespectful.” And because of that? She doesn’t see herself ever working with Jake Paul or anyone who pulls that kind of move. In her eyes, it’s not just about boxing. It’s about respect. And she’s not here to let anyone rewrite her story. However, this is not the only reason why she doesn’t want to work with Jake Paul or his promotion company.

Claressa Shields not willing to stand in someone else’s shadow

Claressa Shields had a very real moment last month. After the Mikaela Mayer vs. Sandy Ryan press conference, she sat down with FightHype and, in a surprising twist, set aside her beef with Alycia Baumgardner. Yeah, that rivalry. Instead of throwing shade, she actually showed some love, congratulating The Bomb on her new deal with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). “Hopefully, now she gets to Amanda Serrano or Katie Taylor and can show her skills. But congrats to her. I really have no problem with that,” Claressa said. Super classy move, right? But don’t get it twisted. Just because Claressa Shields was cool with the Fremont native’s making moves at MVP doesn’t mean The GWOAT is about to follow suit.

When it came to signing with MVP, Claressa Shields made it crystal clear: “I’m never going to sign to an MVP.” And it’s not even about Jake Paul or personal drama. It’s about principle. According to the Flint native, there’s just no world where she’s going to play second fiddle to anyone—not even to big names like Amanda Serrano or Katie Taylor. “It’s not because I don’t like them. I do like both of them. It’s just that pound-for-pound number one don’t fight on the undercard of nobody and that’s just how it is,” she declared without a second thought.

Do you think Jake Paul was wrong to give the GWOAT title to Amanda Serrano over Claressa Shields? Should Claressa Shields ever consider working with MVP if it means fighting for a massive payday on a global stage like Netflix? Do share your thoughts with us below.