MMA fighter Abby Montes, the only woman to have defeated Claressa Shields as a professional, believes that the American will likely never lose a fight again.
Shields has branded herself as the 'GWOAT', meaning Greatest Woman Of All Time, and has proven that nickname to be accurate with a series of wins as both an amateur and professional. She has picked up two undisputed titles in her paid career as well as two Olympic gold medals in the amateurs, and headlined major arena events in London and Detroit.
And she has even made the rare transition from boxing into MMA, taking on two bouts in the PFL smart cage in 2021 before returning a bigger name than ever to the ring. Generally, the move is made the other way - with MMA fighters making the switch to the ring which is perceived to be an easier outing.
"The weight class that she competes at in boxing is not a very deep division," Montes explained during an exclusive chat with Mirror Fighting . "So there are not a ton of challengers I can see that can match up with her. So she will probably stay undefeated for a long time.
"For me, Claressa Shields is better pound-for-pound than Katie Taylor. When you take into account her Olympic achievments and all of the world titles she's won in boxing she definitely has the edge over Katie Taylor and my choice would be Claressa as the pound-for-pound No.1."
Montes defeated Shields when she was just 21 to bring her MMA record to 3-0, but has lost on the judges' scorecards twice since that famous victory. After almost a year out of the octagon, she returns on Thursday night in Atlanta against the debuting Brandy Hester on the undercard of Brendan Loughnane's cage comeback.
"That was a huge benefit to my career," Montes said of the Shields fight. "That was a big fight and a big moment for me to get that win. It's brought more attention and more eyes to my career - I use that as motivation and let people use it as an introduction into Abigal Montes from that night so they can follow me along and see how much I've improved and how much better I become."
Do you believe that Claressa Shields is the greatest women's fighter of all time? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
After the fight, Shields stepped back into the boxing ring, where her star has risen to new heights with massive headline fights in the UK and America. She defeated Savannah Marshall in front of a packed out O2 Arena in London last year before a homecoming in her native Detroit that attracted over 11,000 fans last weekend.
"I think as the sport of MMA has grown the attention for female fighting in general has gained interest," Montes said of her opponent's success. "I think it's great right now the level of attention that male fights, female fights are getting is phenomenal. It's amazing to be on a fight card where we have a female main event, it's beautiful to see."
As for a rematch? Montes is not so sure if her rival will want to do it again. "I do feel like I'm a thorn in her side for that first loss," she added. "If that opportunity presents itself I am going to take the challenge head on and I will gladly accept the battle with Claressa again - in boxing? Maybe..."
You can watch Abby Montes face Brandy Hester in her PFL return live on DAZN this Thursday night in a featured featherweight bout
