Boxing
'She has a crush!' - Romero offers fiery Shields response
Romero vs Lopez: DAZN PPV & Prime Video - Saturday
Before Claressa Shields knocked out Kaye Scott on Saturday night, 'The GWOAT' has dominated headlines by suggesting she could knock out Rolly Romero in a boxing match.
An official crossover battle-of-the-sexes has never unfolded in the ring, and is unlikely to ever occur. But even so, Romero still has some choice words for the Michigan native.
Until now, the WBA welterweight champion has been silent on Shields as he prepares for this weekend's defence against Teofimo Lopez down in Las Vegas.
But speaking to DAZN News, Romero has not minced his meaning, blasting the star for her claims and suggesting that men and women shouldn't be fighting one another.
Tensions and accusations build in Romero vs. Lopez Face Off
BUY NOW: Watch Romero vs. Lopez exclusively on DAZN PPV & Ultimate Tier
"She got knocked out in sparring by a dude I knocked out of my second fight with no effort," he said. "Because of everything, men should not be in the ring with women, OK?
"She could be the greatest female fighter of all time. She has four people in her weight division or whatever it is. But why does she keep bringing me up into this? She has a crush on me."
According to the three-division world champion, he and Shields have had three interactions, none of them going particularly well.
"First time I met her was on October 27, 2015. And I met her again on January 17, 2019. And then I met her again on June 12 of 2023." Romero said. "First time, she was very disrespectful to me. I had just lost this tournament. I got robbed. I shoved both these dudes' eyes. So we were at the Olympic trials for women, but I was at the final qualifier for men for the Olympics. And I missed a shuttle because I woke up late and this guy, he's like, 'Hey, are you going to the boxing fight?'
"I'm like, 'Yeah'. He's like, "Oh, well, we got an extra spot in the car you want to come with?" I'm like, "Yeah, bro. I mean a lot." And she hops in the car, and I get in the car, and she's like, "Who's this bum in this car and all this stuff'.
"And I'm just like, 'What?' She's like, 'Man, get this bum out of the car and all this stuff'. I've never even met this girl. She was already in the Olympics. She was already an Olympic gold medalist and all that stuff. And her boyfriend's like, "Yo, dude, just a kid trying to go to the venue. (She's like) 'No, get this bum out of the car and all stuff." The dude's like, 'Just stay'. He's like, 'Where are you from?' I'm like, "I'm from Vegas." I was like, "I might get signed to Floyd (Mayweather's promotion) one day'. She's like, "You're a bum. You ain't going to do anything." So I got out of the car'. It was the weirdest thing ever."
In Romero's eyes, the second encounter between him and the two-time Olympic gold medalist and three-division undisputed champion was an awkward exchange that left Shields dumbfounded.
"Next time I see her, January 17, 2019, she comes up to me," Romero explains. "Now I'm more of a well-known fighter. I'm already signed to Floyd. It's 2019. I have posted immense amounts of knockouts and sparring and all that stuff. And she comes up to me and introduces herself all night (saying), 'Hey, you're Rolly. I'm Clarissa. Nice to meet you'. And I look at her, I'm like, 'We met before'. She's like, 'Really? When?'
"I'm like, 'In Memphis, October 27, 2015. You gave me a ride'. And she just stood there frozen, put her head down, and walked away."
At the end of the day, Romero feels continuing to go back and forth on Shields isn't going to do any good on his end.
"But at the end of it, I can't really say anything good or bad about it," Romero said. "If I say something bad, there's no winning. I say something good. Well, I mean, there's no winning because then she's going to keep roasting me. Dude, the girl has a crush on me, bro. It's clear as day that she has a crush on me."
Romero vs. Lopez - Watch on DAZN PPV & Prime Video
The WBA welterweight title is on the line as Rolly Romero and Teofimo Lopez face off this Saturday, August 22, live on DAZN.
Buy as a one-off PPV, via DAZN on Prime Video, or included along with Moses vs. Hrgovic (Aug 29) and Canelo vs. Mbilli (Oct 31) PPVs with a DAZN Ultimate Tier subscription.
