The three-division champion nonetheless knows that Shields needs to face a lighter fighter of her caliber because there isn’t a relevant heavyweight for the Flint, Michigan, native to box next.

Shields (18-0, 3 KOs), the undisputed heavyweight champion, is ranked second on The Ring’s women’s pound-for-pound list, one spot atop Mayer (22-2, 5 KOs), who won the WBC and WBO 154-pound championships by soundly outpointing Mary Spencer in her last fight.

“I think she needs big names,” Mayer told The Ring. “She’s done well at the higher weight classes and she is obviously a great athlete and an amazing boxer, and I have nothing bad to say about what she’s accomplished. But she did just sign this really big deal, right?

“This $8 million [promotional] deal, and what comes with that kinda money is you gotta give big, challenging, quality fights against quality opponents. She’s sort of running out of them up at the higher weights and there’s some of us down here I think that could help her to continue the momentum. I think her only option is to drop down.”

Shields stated after her dominant defeat of Franchon Crews-Dezurn in their 10-round rematch February 22 in Detroit that she is willing to meet Mayer at a catchweight of “162 or 163” pounds.

The five-division champ and two-time Olympic gold medalist weighed in at 174 pounds for her shutout of Baltimore’s Crews-Dezurn (10-3, 2 KOs) last month. The lowest Shields, 31, has weighed in recent years was 159½ for her 10-round, unanimous-decision defeat of American Maricela Cornejo in June 2023.

Las Vegas’ Mayer made her junior middleweight debut against Montreal’s Spencer (10-3, 6 KOs) on October 30, but Mayer weighed just 151 pounds for that bout.

She still owns the WBO welterweight title and would welcome a 147-pound showdown against Lauren Price next if she and Shields can’t compromise on a catchweight for their fight. Wales’ Price (9-0, 2 KOs) owns The Ring, IBF, WBA and WBC belts and is ranked No. 8 on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list.

Price is scheduled to defend her titles against Puerto Rico’s Stephanie Pineiro Aquino (10-0, 3 KOs), the WBA interim champ, on April 4 at Utilita Arena in Cardiff.

“I absolutely want that fight,” Mayer said regarding Shields. “When she called me out on Twitter, asking me what my weight was, she said, ‘How about 154?’ And I said, ‘I’m here and ready when you are.’ Then I go up to ’54, take the belts at ’54, and then we bring it up again and it’s suddenly 160 and I say OK. And now I think it’s 163, 164. I got to draw the line at 160 because, again, I walk around at 152, 153. I really can’t [fight above 160] – I wouldn’t make the weight limit. … I come from a skinny family. I don’t really have like a lot of bottom half. I’d really have to build and that would take time. I’m not opposed to it, but at the end of the day I’ll do what I have to do to get to that fight done.

“But I really do think that 160 is the best weight. I think it’s fair that we both meet there. And I think that I’d give Claressa the fight of her life. I think that one thing she does really well is she’s got a really high punch count and she’s fast for those higher weights. A lot of those girls can’t keep up with that work rate, they can’t keep up with that speed, that punch count. But I can. I come from the smaller weights, where we all sort of have that work rate. I think I’m one of the best to work at that rate, so I will give her definitely a tough fight. I believe I would beat her and think that the fans deserve to see it.”