Claressa Shields is back in the news, mostly for off-ring updates. Her feud with Laila Ali is still going strong and perhaps touching new ground. Then, closer to the ring, she has bagged a mouthwatering deal. Reportedly making her the highest-paid fighter in women’s boxing history, Shields has re-signed with her longtime promoter, Dmitriy Salita’s Salita Promotions. The contract also includes a co-promotional deal with Wynn Records.

Now on cloud nine, Claressa Shields is eagerly looking forward to her much-anticipated return in 2026. She sat down with Ariel Helwani for an exclusive interview, where she spoke about her recent journey that saw her become a free agent. The phase ended with her new $8 million multi-fight deal with Salita. Spilling the tea, she revealed how she was close to joining Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). But if that revelation raised eyebrows, fans would be even more surprised to hear that Shields also tried to reach out to Turki Alalshikh.

Claressa Shields reveals attempt to contact Turki Alalshikh

No sooner had she discussed her talks with MVP and their offer than Shields recalled reaching out to Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn. Her goal, she explained, is to fight on the biggest stages and in the grandest events. “I want to be really, really big. I want to make these events be really, really big because I’m going to go out there and just overperform, you know. So, I landed right back at home with him. But it was great talking with MVP and Eddie Hearn,” she said.

Her response caught Ariel Helwani by surprise. He asked, “Oh, you spoke to Eddie as well?” That’s when Claressa Shields revealed that she also tried to contact Turki Alalshikh. But to no avail. “Yeah. When I say I talked to everybody, the only person who I wasn’t able to talk to was Turki Alalshik.”

She felt that perhaps the Riyadh Season head isn’t too invested in women’s boxing. Or perhaps he was simply too busy, she speculated. Helwani pressed further, asking, “Did you try to talk to Turkey?” Claressa Shields replied, “Yeah, but he’s very hard to contact, man. Very hard to contact.”

As fans may recall, Claressa Shields has reached out to Turki Alalshikh on several occasions.

Tracing Claressa Shields’ efforts to reach Turki Alalshikh

Last August, she posted a direct tweet urging him to give women’s boxing another look. She wrote, “Hey @Turki_alalshikh, don’t forget about women’s boxing. We want to be a part of this boxing history too. Sincerely, the GWOAT.” He even replied with a simple “👍🥊.”

Months later, as the new year began, Shields fired off another reminder: “Don’t forget about the Women Turki 🙇🏾‍♀️. We love this sport too and want to make the biggest & best fights.” Once again, she received a similar response: “👍🙏🏻🥊.”

Later in May, ahead of her title defense against Lani Daniels, Claressa Shields finally met Turki Alalshikh. Sharing a picture on Instagram, she captioned it, “🙇🏾‍♀️ Nice to have a good conversation with you, @turki!” I look forward to working together & putting on one of the biggest fights in women’s boxing toward the end of the year 🥊.”

Perhaps she no longer needs to reach out to anyone now. Earlier in May, she also made an announcement regarding her MMA career. So her focus now seems firmly on boxing. Her sole objective is to elevate her career to unprecedented heights. Especially amid her simmering feud with icon Laila Ali, Shields appears determined to reach a level where she alone stands as the GWOAT.

It’s now on to 2026, when she steps back into the ring against a new opponent.

Who would you want Claressa Shields to fight next?