Laila Ali still has a number for anyone hoping to bring her back to the boxing ring.
The retired former champion has once again addressed the long-running talk of a potential super-fight with Claressa Shields, making it clear that social media callouts alone are not going to change her mind.
For Ali, the equation is financial.
“Not just anybody can make me an offer,” Ali said during a recent radio interview. “You actually have to have the money.”
The potential matchup has been simmering for years. The tension between the two fighters dates back to 2018, when Shields publicly expressed frustration over comments Ali made about the state of women’s boxing.
The conversation intensified in 2020, when Ali indicated that the right opponent and a substantial payday could potentially convince her to return.
By 2025, Ali had put a more specific figure on that possibility, saying a comeback would require a purse in the $15 million to $20 million range, according to the supplied source.
Shields subsequently pushed back, claiming her team had secured a $15 million offer and publicly displaying an oversized check bearing Ali’s name as a statement of her willingness to make the fight happen.
Shields has also accused Ali of avoiding the matchup, claims Ali has repeatedly rejected.
Ali’s latest comments suggest she remains focused on the difference between talking about a fight and putting a legitimate business proposal on the table.
That distinction is particularly important given how long the matchup has lived in the public conversation without actually materializing.
Ali retired from professional boxing in 2007 with a perfect 24-0 record. Since leaving the sport, she has established herself as an entrepreneur and television personality.
Shields, meanwhile, remains one of the most accomplished names in women’s boxing, making the possibility of the two fighters sharing a ring an enduring topic among fans.
But Ali’s position appears unchanged: if someone wants to make the fight real, the financial side has to make sense first.
For now, the gloves remain off — and the price of getting them back on is still the biggest question surrounding Ali-Shields.
