Claressa Shields already knows what she wants one of the biggest entrances of her career to look like, and she is putting the request directly in Beyoncé’s hands. During a new interview with TMZ Sports, Shields revealed that a Beyoncé ring walk is high on her bucket list before she eventually hangs up her gloves. The 31-year-old boxer made the pitch directly to the superstar, saying she is not asking for an elaborate performance or even a particular song.
American professional boxer Claressa Shields is inspired by Beyoncé, and wants Beyoncé to walk her out to the ring. pic.twitter.com/GWIPDlDCPu
— IChooseViolence (@ourhermitage) August 26, 2026
“Beyoncé, listen, baby girl,” Shields said. “Before I retire, I need you to walk me out.”
Shields made it clear that Beyoncé could have full creative control over the moment.
“You pick the song,” Shields said. “Only perform 30 seconds, one minute, whatever you decide.”
According to TMZ Sports, Shields said the Beyoncé ring walk is essentially her one major request as she looks ahead to the remaining years of her career. Shields, who has long called herself the GWOAT, or Greatest Woman of All Time, said she wants Beyoncé beside her as she makes the trip to the ring.
“Before I retire, I need Beyoncé to walk out the greatest woman of all time,” Shields said. “That’s my only request.”
She even stressed that she would not expect anything else from Beyoncé after the walkout.
“I won’t ask you for nothing else,” Shields said. “I won’t even ask you for a picture if that’s not what you want.”
The request comes while Shields remains firmly active in the sport. TMZ Sports reported that she plans to keep fighting until she is 38, giving her several more years to potentially make the Beyoncé ring walk happen.
Shields is also coming off another championship performance. She stopped Australia’s Kaye Scott in the sixth round in Atlanta on August 15, reclaiming the WBA and WBC middleweight championships. The victory improved Shields’ professional boxing record to 19 wins with no losses and four knockouts, according to the outlet.
The World Boxing Association also confirmed that Shields overwhelmed Scott before securing the technical knockout in the sixth round and becoming a WBA middleweight champion again. The fight marked Shields’ return to the 160-pound division after previously competing at heavier weights.
That latest win only adds to the résumé behind Shields’ confidence.
According to Team USA, Shields won Olympic gold medals at the 2012 London Games and the 2016 Rio Games. Team USA credits her as the first American woman to win Olympic boxing gold and the first American boxer, male or female, to win gold medals in consecutive Olympic Games.
With Olympic history and championships across multiple professional weight classes already attached to her name, the Beyoncé ring walk would represent a different type of career milestone. It would not add another title to Shields’ collection, but it could create the type of crossover sports and culture moment that lives well beyond the final bell.
Shields’ story has already reached audiences outside the boxing world. Her life and early career inspired the 2024 film “The Fire Inside,” which starred Ryan Destiny as Shields and Brian Tyree Henry as trainer Jason Crutchfield. The movie focused on Shields’ rise from Flint, Michigan, to becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing.
Now, Shields appears focused on making sure the next part of her story is just as memorable.
Her future could still include several major opponents. TMZ Sports said Shields also discussed Cris Cyborg during the interview after the MMA star publicly called her out. Cyborg renewed that challenge following her August 22 victory over Ketlen Vieira, according to MMA Fighting.
Shields also addressed whether she could return to mixed martial arts and whether a fight involving Laila Ali could ever become a reality, according to TMZ Sports. Those matchups remain possibilities rather than confirmed fights, but they show how many major names continue to surround Shields as she maps out the closing stages of her career.
There is also the possibility of a major boxing showdown with Lauren Price. Before Shields defeated Scott, Reuters reported that Shields expected a potential fight with the British champion to likely happen in 2027 after discussions about the matchup had stretched throughout the year.
For now, though, Shields has been especially clear about one name she hopes will eventually become part of her boxing story.
A Beyoncé ring walk would combine two women who have reached the top of their respective fields for a moment Shields clearly views as bigger than a standard entrance. She is not asking Beyoncé to perform a full concert, choose a specific record, or turn the fight into anything other than what it already is.
She simply wants Beyoncé walking beside her when the lights come on, and the next bell gets closer.
“Beyoncé,” Shields said, “I need you to walk me out.”
