Unified super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner (18-1, 7 KOs) has announced she is taking legal action against undisputed heavyweight champion Claressa Shields (18-0, 3 KOs) following a backstage altercation on the May 16 Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card in Los Angeles after a video showed Shields slapped Baumgardner.
The confrontation began verbally, with Shields warning Baumgardner to stop commenting on her personal life. After Baumgardner told Shields: “I’ll beat [you] right now,” a group of men stepped between them — though Shields reached across and slapped Baumgardner before being pulled back by her partner Papoose. MVP banned Shields from all future events following the incident.
Baumgardner described the slap as “unprovoked and entirely consistent with the individual involved,” accusing Shields of a repeated pattern of behaviour: “That conduct is unacceptable and should not be tolerated in any professional sport. This situation has been and will continue to be handled legally and professionally.”
Shields initially appeared unbothered, posting a middle finger photo on X. Her tone since then has shifted. Shields claimed the circulating footage did not tell the full story and pointed to what she described as a “documented history of attacks and threats” from Baumgardner: “There is a difference between aggression and protection. Any further false allegations or defamation of character will be handled accordingly by my legal team.”