Boxing sensation Claressa Shields has admitted she admires what Jake Paul has done for the sport but wants him to be more respectful moving forward.

The last few years have somewhat served as the Jake Paul show in the world of boxing, which is the last thing anyone would’ve expected - even after he made his professional debut.

The man known as ‘The Problem Child’ has had his fair share of ups and downs but inside the squared circle, he’s been able to accumulate a 5-0 record that includes knockout wins over the likes of Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren.

Claressa Shields, meanwhile, is 12-0 as a pro, and she also has two Olympic gold medals to her name from London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Shields has never been afraid to speak her mind and this situation is no different with both fighters trading verbal blows to kickstart 2022.

Alas, between her boxing record and her venture into mixed martial arts, it’s near enough impossible not to respect the athletic accomplishments of Shields.

As it turns out, despite everything that’s been said, Claressa does actually appreciate what Paul has done for boxing thus far.

“I like what Jake Paul is doing, he’s brought a whole bunch of attention to women’s boxing and just to boxing. It’s just about him respecting the sport and if you’re going to, you know, be calling out Canelo and all that kind of stuff, you have to at least fight against a real fighter and not be using everybody’s name for clout.”

A true test awaits

The relentless calls for Jake Paul to fight a “real boxer” have led him down the path of a collision with Tommy Fury.

This fight was initially supposed to go down back in December but after Fury pulled out through injury, Woodley stepped in for a rematch with the controversial YouTuber.

Six months later, the rumour mill is suggesting that a rearranged match-up has been booked for August 13.

If Paul can get past him, perhaps some critics will have to start putting a bit more respect on his name.