*Two-time Olympic gold medalist and undisputed boxing champion Claressa Shields left former NFL MVP Cam Newton visibly surprised when she revealed that she and rapper Papoose plan to have a baby next year.
During a candid appearance on Newton’s “Funky Friday” podcast, Shields opened up about motherhood, her relationship with Papoose and why she’s willing to temporarily put boxing on hold to start a family.
“We having a baby next year,” Shields told Newton.
“Huh?” Newton responded.
“Yeah, we having a baby next year,” she repeated.
Scroll to continue reading
The revelation comes amid Papoose’s ongoing marital split from rapper Remy Ma, whose highly publicized breakup with her longtime husband has unfolded alongside his relationship with Shields.
Cam Newton Questions How They’ll Have Their Baby
Newton’s surprise turned into an awkward exchange when he asked Shields how she and Papoose planned to have the child.
“How y’all gonna have it? You gonna have a child?” Newton asked.
“Who the fuck else gonna have the kid?” Shields fired back.
Newton explained that he was considering Shields’ demanding boxing career and the possibility of surrogacy or adoption.
Shields quickly made her position clear.
“I’m not gonna have no surrogate,” she said. “I can get pregnant like anybody else.”
Shields said she once viewed surrogacy differently, recalling that at 18 she thought, “I’m not messing up this perfect body. Somebody else carry the little kid.”
Now, however, her feelings have changed.
The champion said her close relationship with her sister’s three children has strengthened her desire to experience motherhood herself.
“Now I feel like I wanna have my own kid,” Shields said.
Shields Plans To Put Boxing On Hold
Motherhood would require a major adjustment to Shields’ career, and she told Newton she’s prepared to make it.
Shields said she has two fights planned before taking a break, including an upcoming bout and another she expects around the end of the year or January.
Before meeting Papoose, Shields said she would have preferred waiting until about 35 to have a child because she hopes to retire from boxing at 38.
Papoose changed that timeline.
“With him, I’m willing to have a kid at 31, 32,” she said.
Shields explained that her plan would be to have a child, return for two more fights and then eventually finish her career.
Her latest comments expand on baby plans she has discussed publicly before. Shields previously said she intended to step away from boxing temporarily to focus on motherhood before returning to the ring.
Papoose Helped Unlock Her ‘Soft’ Side
The conversation became more personal when Newton asked whether her relationship had brought out a different side of her.
Shields said Papoose is the first partner who has made her feel that she doesn’t have to handle everything alone.
“I’ve always had to do everything myself, even in a relationship,” Shields said.
She described being accustomed to people asking her how she would solve problems rather than offering to help.
With Papoose, she said, the dynamic changed immediately.
“What can I do? How can I help?” she recalled him asking.
Shields said she especially appreciates hearing him tell her, “Don’t worry, I got it.”
“I think I’ve been with men, but I feel like as far as a man who understands me, understands my greatness and understands I’m tough and I got my stuff together and I’m very smart … just because I handle everything by myself doesn’t mean I don’t want help,” she explained.
Shields Says Papoose Loves Her More
Newton also forced Shields to choose who loves the other more, telling her she couldn’t call the relationship 50-50.
“I think Pap love me more,” Shields answered.
She acknowledged that she can sometimes be “mean” or “snappy,” but said Papoose has found a way to understand and handle those moments.
Shields also offered an intimate glimpse into how much time the couple spends together. She said Papoose maintains his place in New York while she has a home in Atlanta, but they are together frequently.
“I’m surprised that I haven’t been pregnant yet,” Shields said, before joking candidly about how sexually active they are when she isn’t preparing for a fight.
For Shields, the larger revelation wasn’t simply that she wants a baby. It was how dramatically her vision for motherhood changed after falling in love with Papoose.
A woman who once imagined waiting until 35 — and once considered having someone else carry her child — now says she’s prepared to pause one of boxing’s most accomplished careers and experience pregnancy herself.
“We having a baby next year,” she told Newton.
And judging from Newton’s reaction, he wasn’t expecting that answer.
(If You Like/Appreciate This EURweb Story, Please SHARE it!)
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Angie Stone’s Daughter Calls Out Claressa Shields Over Jill Scott Mix-Up
We Publish Breaking News 24/7. Don’t Miss Out! Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
