She has long expressed respect for Taylor's abilities, accomplishments and popularity. No one could convince Shields, though, that Taylor – or anyone else – should be ranked above her on women's boxing's pound-for-pound list.

The Ring is among the outlets listing Taylor first and Shields second in its top 10. Shields contends misguided voters couldn’t logically make that argument based on the results of their fights since both boxers made their pro debuts a week apart in November 2016.

The undefeated five-division champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist maintains their vastly different personalities sway some voters to overlook what Shields considers very obvious evidence that should secure her the top spot.

“I think it’s a ‘who you like personally’ contest sometimes,” Shields told The Ring. “I think it’s do you like how humble somebody is? I think a lot the judging went outside of the actual boxing inside the ring. I feel like it’s, ‘Oh, she’s so soft-spoken. She’s so nice. I think she just got married recently.’

“They look at stuff like that and I look at the actual boxing inside the ring. Because I don’t think her last two fights with Amanda [Serrano] were too exciting. I’m happy that she won because I’m a fan of Katie. When it comes to me, though, my boxing skills are one of one when it comes to women’s boxing, and I pride myself on that.”

Shields, 30, makes a strong argument.

She has barely lost rounds on her way to becoming undisputed champion in the junior middleweight, middleweight and heavyweight divisions. The Flint, Michigan native – who faces Franchon Crews-Dezurn in a rematch DAZN will stream February 22 from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit – also has been a unified super middleweight champ.

Shields (17-0, 3 KOs) avenged her only loss as a boxer by unanimously outpointing amateur nemesis Savannah Marshall in October 2022 at London's O2 Arena. Her rematch with Marshall (13-2, 10 KOs) was the only remotely competitive fight of her professional career, and she still won seven of 10 rounds on two scorecards in Marshall’s home country (97-93, 97-93, 96-94).

“I try not to get caught up in these lists and awards and stuff like that,” Shields said, “because it can distract you from what you wanna do in life. … I know I’m pound-for-pound number one, no matter what the votes say. I don’t lose rounds, don’t get hit that much, I’m great defensively, I’m strong, I’m fast. I know that I’m a really great fighter.”

Ireland’s Taylor (25-1, 6 KOs) is a great fighter as well.

The 2012 Olympic gold medalist has been undisputed champion at lightweight and junior welterweight. The 39-year-old Taylor’s majority-decision defeat to England’s Chantelle Cameron (21-1, 8 KOs) in their first fight is generally regarded as debatable, but so are her narrow wins over Serrano in their first fight and Delfine Persoon in their initial meeting.

Critics question Shields’ level of opposition compared to Taylor’s, especially since moving to heavyweight, yet there isn’t a fighter Shields avoided in the divisions she cleaned out. Shadasia Green, who beat Marshall by split decision last summer, has long wanted to challenge Shields, but Crews-Dezurn defeated Green by unanimous decision in December 2023.

Regardless, Shields would like to fight Green and Mikaela Mayer later this year.

Las Vegas’ Mayer (22-2, 5 KOs), Shields’ former Olympic teammate, is a three-division champion and ranks third on The Ring’s pound-for-pound list, one spot ahead of Cameron. Green (16-1, 11 KOs), of Paterson, New Jersey, owns the IBF and WBO super middleweight titles.

Even if her 2026 were to consist of wins against Crews-Dezurn (10-2, 2 KOs), Green and Mayer, Shields isn’t sure she would regain top spot on some pound-for-pound lists. She believes she has been mischaracterized as “angry” and “having a bad attitude,” but insists she simply stands up for herself and won't be bullied or disrespected the way she was as a kid.

“I think some people have made it their business to make me out as this bad person,” Shields said. “I could say a hundred good things in a interview and one bad thing, they highlight the one bad thing, and been doing that my entire career. … I guess it comes with the territory, but I feel like I’ve been one hundred-percent targeted, just because I’m not only a black woman, but a successful, accomplished black woman.

“People say I’m outspoken, but I only speak when I need to speak up. You don’t see me talking about every bad thing that happens with boxers. Sometimes I just mind my business, but people do come messing with me. That’s when you do hear what I’ve got to say.”

■ However DAZN’s hierarchy made it happen, ensuring the soon-to-be-announced showdown between Vergil Ortiz and Jaron Ennis will stand as one of the streaming service’s most important moves of 2026. Subscribers to its relatively new monthly Ultimate plan ($44.95 in the United States; £24.95 in the UK) need to get legitimate pay-per-view value for their money throughout the year and Ortiz versus Ennis is one of the three best fights that can be made in boxing at this time. No matter how many lawsuits have been filed recently, allowing typical boxing obstacles to prevent it from happening next would’ve been bad for business.

■ Moving Shakur Stevenson (25-0, 11 KOs) from seventh to third on our pound-for-pound list seems fair based on the ease with which he beat Teofimo Lopez in the biggest fight of Stevenson’s career last month. Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, who dropped from third to fourth despite not fighting since the previous rankings were released, is a great fighter, clearly worthy of a top five spot. Rodriguez (23-0, 16 KOs) doesn’t have a victory over someone like Lopez (22-2, 13 KOs) – an elite-level opponent in the heart of his physical prime – on his record, though.

■ Brandon Glanton isn’t the cruiserweight we’d most want to watch Jai Opetaia fight March 8. He is at least more threatening, though, than the last two opponents Opetaia knocked out, both of whom were undefeated when they fought. Germany’s Huseyin Cinkara (23-1, 19 KOs), who was knocked out in the eighth round by Australia’s Opetaia on December 6, is 41. Italy’s Claudio Squeo (18-1, 10 KOs), knocked out in the fifth round by Opetaia (29-0, 23 KOs) on June 8, built his resume mostly against opponents with losing records. Atlanta’s Glanton (21-3, 18 KOs) is The Ring’s 10th-ranked contender for Opetaia’s title.