1) Affirmed 2) Alleged 3) Confidently declared to be so 4) Confidently said 5) Declared 6) Defended 7) Expressed positively 8) Held 9) Made a case for 10) Made a statement 11) Professed 12) Put forth 13) Said positively 14) Said with conviction 15) Stated 16) Stated forcefully 17) Stated with conviction Found on https://www.crosswordclues.com/clue/asserted
resting on a statement or claim unsupported by evidence or proof; alleged: The asserted value of the property was twice the amount anyone offered. Found on https://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/asserted