Laila Ali has not fought in a professional boxing match since 2007, but that hasn’t stopped her from drumming up interest in a potential fight with current women’s queen Claressa Shields.

In February, during the week of promotion for the Tyson Fury versus Deontay Wilder rematch in Las Vegas, Ali (24-0, 21 KOs) went on ESPN television and told the masses that she’d entertain the idea of returning to the ring at the age of 43.

More than a month later, no substantial progress has been made in negotiations to secure a fight between two great female fighters.

“Claressa wants to fight the best so she would sign the contract today. The bigger question is Laila Ali. I know Laila has gone on TV and on the radio and has been talking the talk, but there has been very little material discussions. I mean, I hope that she’ll do it but I don’t think so,” Shields promoter Dmitriy Salita told Fight Hub TV.

“We’ve reached out and discussed some business terms generally, so there has been some discussions but not enough for me to say that I feel strongly that it’s gonna happen ... it’s really up to Laila.

“I think that Laila’s interested in being relevant, I think she’s interested in using this possibility to get in the news and to talk about it and it’s exciting, but I don’t know that she really wants to fight Claressa. And if she really does then she’s a real, real fighter. But I haven’t seen it yet.

“But really the ball is in her court. And if she wants to do it, obviously within reason, I think there’s definitely ways to make it happen but she has to want to do it, like really want to do it. And there’s only one way to say ‘yes’ and a million ways to say ‘no.’”

In February, Ali had the following to say, which ignited it all.

"I love boxing. I always have," said Ali. "Boxing has inspired my Laila Ali lifestyle brand. I've been outside of the boxing gym but in the gym ever since I left. I got nutrition products. I got spice blends. I'm all about health and wellness, so I'm very healthy. So have I been sitting around thinking about boxing? No. But lately there's been a little chatter.

"[Shields has] been calling me out. She's taken offense to some things I've said in the past that had nothing to do with her. And people are asking me: Would you come back? Well, I have to be inspired by the opponent. I have to be inspired by the purse, because I have multiple things going on, multiple streams of income. I don't need to do it. I have to want to do it."

Shields was 12-years-old the last time Ali, now a married mother of two, was in the ring.

"I feel like I'm the greatest woman of all time,” Shields told ESPN in February. “I cannot be beat, not by a champion right now, a former world champion, a champion who's bigger, stronger, faster, whatever you want to say. All these fighters have to prove it to me. And when she gets inside the ring, I have a game plan for everybody who I step in the ring with. And the fact that she's going to bring out that 100% in me, you're going to see a whole different Claressa Shields. And it's going to be a war."

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist and member of the Boxing Writers Assn. of America since 2011. He has written for the likes of the LA Times, Guardian, USA Today, Philadelphia Inquirer, Men’s Health and NFL.com and currently does TV commentary for combat sports programming that airs on Fox Sports and hosts his own radio show in Los Angeles. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan or via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com.