Claressa Shields grabbed a knife from her car after being knocked down in sparring, the undisputed middleweight champion has admitted.
A disgruntled Arturs Ahmetovs released a video of him planting Shields to the canvas after the female star spoke about the incident during an interview.
Shields discussed wanting to grab a knife and go for trainer Derik Santos when speaking to a YouTube media outlet during Canelo vs Charlo fight week.
She was adamant padding was removed from the gloves used in the training session.
Ahmetovs got wind of the conversation, reposted it, and added his sparring video. Shields was angry and threatened anyone who shared the clip with a letter of defamation.
She also repeated the admission that she had a knife in her car and was thinking of using it to ‘cut’ the coach.
Claressa Shields admits going for a knife over sparring knockdown
“I ran to my car, and I grabbed my knife. I was going to cut [trainer] Derik Santos. Don’t ever cheat against me,” she stated.
Former world champion Ishe Smith is among several commenters who have questioned the story Shields told about the gloves.
“Serious allegations here. So they took the padding out of the gloves. Then they prepped them and used the same gloves to spar,” said Smith.
“Why, when some s— happens in this game, it’s someone always doing some foul s— to the gloves. Again, do you know how hard it is to tamper with gloves?”
Ranting on social media to those who decided to share the video and gloat, the “GWOAT” was still seething about the leak twenty-four hours later.
Padding out of gloves
“One thing for sure, if I went public in 2018 about how this fellow professional boxer and boxing trainer took his padding out his gloves to spare against me because I embarrassed him earlier that week, it would have jeopardized my upcoming world title fight,” insisted Shields.
“Five years later, I’m still here! You, MFS, could never, I mean never make me feel any less of a woman and champion. I’m glad that cheater didn’t hurt my career! God is the decision-maker!
“To whom it may concern, No matter what I go through, public or private, I’m still going think I’m all that. You can bring up any flaw, past mistake, and gossip, and I’m still going to think I’m all that.”
In a warning of the video, she added: “Anybody or network who posts that sparring video from five years ago getting blocked.
“[They will also get] a defamation of character letter because I did not get KO, ‘d, I got knocked down by a b—- boy with no padding in his gloves.”
