When boxing’s top-ranked female fighter said she’d ’embarrass’ Jake Paul in the ring with one hand

Many fighters have long pushed back on Jake Paul’s push for legitimacy as a professional boxer.

The next step in Paul’s journey in the ring comes Saturday, June 28, when he throws down with ex-WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

‘The Problem Child’ hasn’t shied away from expressing bold ambitions, with Paul targeting a boxing world title and victories over all-time greats like Canelo Alvarez. 

But the former Disney star still hasn’t done enough to prove himself to many in the boxing realm. Paul’s win over Mike Tyson on Netflix last November did not change the minds of his critics.

Many have predicted Paul to fall when matched against a high-level pro, and the sport’s top-ranked female fighter once said she wouldn’t even need two hands to prove as much.

READ MORE: Dana White was once given the power to end Jake Paul’s boxing career

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images for NetflixClaressa Shields said she could use one hand while sparring ‘regular Joe’ Jake PaulPaul’s wins over Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley in 2021 did little to legitimize him as a high-level boxer in the eyes of Claressa Shields, who calls herself the GWOAT (greatest woman of all-time) having won multiple world titles across five different weight classes.

The undefeated Shields is ranked as the pound-for-pound best female fighter in the world by both ESPN and The Ring. Unsurprisingly, an abundance of accolades have left the 30-year-old with a high level of self-belief.

That was on display three years ago when she assessed how a sparring session with Paul would go during an interview with Sky Sports.

“I don’t know what world people live in that they think a man (could beat me) who has not been to the Olympics, who has not fought professionally,” Shields said. “There are a lot of women in boxing who could (out-box) men, especially a regular joe like Jake Paul!

“I know it’s too much to fight him because it would be too embarrassing (for him), but if I were to spar Jake, I could use one hand. Just my jab, I wouldn’t even have to use the banger. Just my jab – I would out-jab, out-hook, and out-uppercut him. I would embarrass him.

“This isn’t a shot at Jake Paul. This is how skilled I am. You’re not as great a boxer as me,” Shields added. “This isn’t disrespectful. I am a skilled boxer – respect it and know it.

“Just because I’m a woman? This is real-life stuff. I box for real. I’m not a play-fighter.”

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Jake Paul could follow in Claressa Shields’ footsteps with MMA debut in PFLWhile Paul and Shields both have their focus on the ring, they did spend recent years under the same MMA banner – the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Shields competed three times in the PFL, splitting her first two fights before potentially finishing her brief MMA career with a victory on the PFL vs. Bellator card in February 2024.

The two-time Olympic gold medalist has suggested this year that without having sufficient time to reach the level required to become a champion in the cage, she won’t be returning to the all-encompassing sport.

Paul, meanwhile, signed with the PFL at the start of 2023, with the plan to make his debut in the cage that same year. Over two years later, ‘The Problem Child’ has yet to compete in the sport.

PFL CEO Peter Murray claimed last year that Paul will debut in MMA in 2025.