Tonight?s main event on Showtime between Claressa Shields and Ivana Habazin has been cancelled after the latter?s veteran trainer, James Ali Bashir, was hospitalized after being sucker punched by a member of Shields?s entourage during yesterday?s weigh-in at the Dort Federal Credit Union Event Center in Flint, Michigan.
Shields has been designated, by her team, a compliant media, and those with a vested interest in her success, as being the fighter who is singlehandedly putting women?s boxing on the map. There has been resistance to her premature deification, from those unsupportive of women?s boxing, as well as those who resent being told what to think, and this latest kerfuffle diminishes everyone involved.
There are two sides to every story, except when there are seven or eight, and it?s no different now. Bashir was arguing with Claressa?s sister during the weigh-in, and according to Shields he kept calling her ?bitch.? Chances are slim to none that Bashir called her a ?bitch? for no reason, but even Shields admitted that his being ?disrespectful? did not justify the attack on an elderly man, who was unconscious and bleeding from a head wound for 20 minutes before paramedics rushed him to the hospital.
Trash talk is commonplace in boxing. Many casuals seem to like it as much if not more than the fights. It?s an easy and effective way to build the gate, and if it?s redolent of Ali?s braggadocio, albeit devoid of the wit if not the cruelty, it liberates the hostility simmering just beneath the sport?s surface.
The decline in public discourse is nothing new. Whether it?s the result of social media, collateral damage from late-stage capitalism, or the intentional dumbing down of the populace exemplified by Jeffrey Epstein?s pal, that creep with hair the color of stale piss, is difficult to say. What is not difficult to say is that boxing, no less than what passes for writing about boxing, wasn?t always this unsavory.
In her own defense, Shields took to Instagram in a heavily edited video.
??I?m sure she (Ivana Habazin) has another coach she can fly in. And nothing happened to her. Something happened to her coach, sadly,? said Shields with a shrug of the shoulders. ?But other than that, I don?t know.
?For the situation that happened and the stress and everything, I understand I?m giving her the delay and everything, that she can be seven pounds or whatever over me. That?s cool with me because at the same time, I?m sorry about that happened. It?s stressful. If it would?ve happened to me?hell, I would have said F the weigh-ins too.?
Claressa hit the talking points, before apportioning blame.
?Her coach was being a real rude disrespectful, but that still don?t make it alright,? Shields said. ?So whatever happened, my sister, who you can see in the video, she?s a stud, she?s gay, and he was just like doing it in her face, ?Bitch (unintelligible).? He kept saying it over and over again. When I walked off he was still saying it to her. I didn?t tell anybody who was with me to do anything, to do that kinda crap. I rode with all females. The toughest bitch on my squad is me, period. But I wish him a speedy recovery. I hope Ivana is in good spirits, and I hope that, like she said, ?No excuses,? she come to fight. No way in hell I wanna give this fight up??
Ivana Habazin is not in good spirits.
?With deep regret my trainer James Ali Bashir was punched in the back of the head by someone in Shields entourage,? she wrote on Facebook. ?Bashir was taken to a local hospital and has now been moved to Henry Ford Hospital because delicate facial surgery must be performed.
?I want to say that security was nowhere to be found. Club show are run better than this organization.
?[Claressa] has a big mouth and the people around her like Claressa are always looking for trouble. Claressa and her team are classless.
?During the pre weigh-in the coach wanted to look at [Claressa?s] weight and her sister and Bashir exchanged words. Her family and friends should never have been allowed on the stage.
?Someone in her camp (suspect [isn?t in] jail) attacked my coach and sucker punched him. Bashir hit the floor face first and was bleeding and unconscious. The attacker quickly ran out of the building.
?I was in the hospital till 2 am, 12 hours. My immediate concern was to look after the well being of my coach. I think most people with a heart would do the same.
?We have been receiving death threats and people are saying I am scared to fight because [Claressa] is going to beat my ass. We don?t feel safe here.
?Claressa showed concern for my coach and she said she is sorry. But, then she called me out saying I can?t be looking for excuses and that I can take another coach. Seriously?
?I have this message for her: You can run your filthy mouth all you want. When my trainer recovers it will be just you and me in the ring. I want to see how tough you are when the entourage you hang out with aren?t there to help you. You?re going to find out how scared I am of a classless fighter like you. Our day will come Claressa.?
Not to be outdone, the WBC, one of whose belts Shields possesses, added its two cents in a statement: ?The WBC strongly condemns any act of violence in any event related to our sport, and specially the horrible attack which took place in an official activity surrounding this event.
?The WBC is certain that the corresponding authorities will apply the full extent to the law to this regrettable incident.?
If you live by the sword, you die by the sword. Everything else reeks of doublespeak.
