Laila Ali has reminded everyone who controls her timeline.
The retired boxing champion, 47, took to Instagram on Wednesday, August 6, to plug several projects—including the August 12 Food Network debut of Chef Grudge Match and a “Persian cucumber” feature for Laila Ali Lifestyle—before addressing the question fans keep asking: Will she fight Claressa Shields?
“Yes, I’m going to answer your question…when I’m good and ready,” Ali said in the video. “Nobody calls the shots on me. I do things when, how, and where I like.” She wrapped the clip with a playful “Bye. Love you guys,” adding the hashtag #PracticePatience in the caption.
The latest post is another chapter in a digital back-and-forth that has stretched more than seven years. In January 2018, Ali told The Breakfast Club she saw no worthy opponent who could lure her out of retirement, though she name-checked Shields as an impressive two-time Olympic gold medalist from Flint, Michigan.
That comment opened the door to debate, and by 2020, the discussion turned concrete when Ali floated a $5 million purse as her price to meet Shields in the ring.
Tensions escalated again this January after boxing great Andre Ward inquired about any personal rift between Ali and Shields. Ali said she held no ill will, but Shields took the remarks as a slight.
On social media, Shields branded Ali a “bitter old person” and claimed Ali once discouraged her from turning pro, adding, “You’re not gonna fight me, so why keep bringing me up?”
Ali addressed comeback rumors on July 11 while attending the Katie Taylor–Amanda Serrano bout. Speaking to FightHype, she reiterated the financial hurdle, stating that a $15–$20 million offer would be necessary to even initiate negotiations. “I’m not trying to come back and fight,” she said, “but if someone offered that kind of money, I’d have to think about it.”
