Cecilia Braekhus and Claressa Shields traded jabs on Twitter last week, but the former says she has at least two opponents to get to before even thinking about Shields, the self-proclaimed GWOAT ("Greatest Woman of All-Time").
Braekhus was slated to fight Jessica McCaskill on April 17, but the coronavirus pandemic postponed that bout. Now, all that's on Braekhus' mind is making the fight happen once the COVID-19 outbreak subsides and then facing the winner of Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano thereafter.
Braekhus joined Eddie Hearn's Instagram Live chat on Friday and explained to the Matchroom Boxing USA president why that means Shields will have to wait.
“I think I pointed out to everyone why this isn’t happening right now," Braekhus told Hearn, referring to a super showdown between Shields and herself. "I’m in a foursome that is quite extraordinary. This mini-tournament with me, McCaskill, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano ... it would take a lot to drag me away from this. It’s quite an astonishing situation right now in women’s boxing.”
While Braekhus said Shields is "good for boxing," she believes the 25-year-old has plenty to learn about its business side.
“She brings excitement and the fans in, and they get very caught up in the whole thing," Braekhus said of Shields. "She is a good thing for boxing. She’s still young and she’s still learning how things work. I’ve been doing this for a while now. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs."
Braekhus' words come after she tweeted last week that Shields is "obsessed" with her, an assertion to which Shields retorted: "You don't want to fight me."
Braekhus, 38, will always have the sole distinction of being the first woman to be crowned an undisputed champion of the world, as she has reigned as undisputed welterweight champ since 2014. Shields and Taylor followed last year, becoming undisputed champions of the middleweight and lightweight divisions, respectively.
When boxing resumes, Shields will attempt to become the first woman to simultaneously hold two undisputed crowns in two different weight classes, as her bout against Marie Eve Dicaire for the junior middleweight titles is expected to be rescheduled. Braekhus, Shields and Taylor are all undefeated.