Claressa Shields isn't just a fighter in the ring—she fights for her man outside of it, taking up for Papoose when 50 Cent came for him.
Claressa Shields takes 50 Cent fight to the Internet, telling him to 'STFU' originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Claressa Shields isn’t known for staying quiet, and this week the undefeated boxing champion made that clear again by firing back at 50 Cent online amid his ongoing feud with her partner, rapper Papoose.
The back-and-forth spilled into Shields’ orbit after 50 Cent shared posts that included images of Shields and Papoose, prompting confusion from the two-division Olympic gold medalist. Shields said she woke up on New Year’s Day to find herself pulled into the drama despite never publicly criticizing the rapper.
“I wake up New Year’s Day and 50 Cent got a post with my face & Papoose face on it and I’ve never done or said nothing bad ’bout him,” Shields wrote in a series of Snapchat posts, per Complex. “So I’m all confused like what the heck.”
While Shields acknowledged she’s capable of clapping back online, she initially chose to stay out of it after talking things through with Papoose, opting instead to keep her focus on training and competition.
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“So everyone knows how I get on this internet I’ll troll a mf too,” she wrote. “But Pap said let him handle it. So I’m staying focused on my training! Cause I make millions to fight!”
Shields suggested the attention had less to do with a personal beef and more with internet virality, noting that her recent online visibility has been driven simply by being herself.
“It’s sad to say that I’ve been viral for 40 days and 40 nights by just being me,” she added, questioning why she had become a target at all.
The boxer also pushed back against claims she said were being repeated about her lifestyle and spending, calling them flat-out false. “I literally have my receipts posted,” Shields wrote. “There is no LV luggage or duffle bag on there! That’s a lie.”
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Things escalated further after 50 Cent shared a throwback photo of Shields, which she felt fed into long-standing criticism of Black women’s appearances. Shields responded by posting a more recent in-ring photo and reminding followers of the context behind the older image.
“I was 17 years old fighting for my entire country and had an OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL AROUND MY NECK!” Shields wrote. “Of course I glowed up!”
She went on to address what she described as a broader pattern of anti-Blackness in public discourse, writing that she refuses to participate in negativity aimed at her own community.
Shields closed with her most pointed remarks yet, dismissing 50 Cent’s standing in hip-hop and telling him bluntly to “STFU.”
All of this comes as Shields prepares for her Feb. 22 rematch against Franchón Crews-Dezurn in Detroit.
Category: General Sports
