Claressa Shields

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Claressa Shields
Claressa Shields - PopTech 2012.jpg
Shields with her Olympic gold medal in 2012
BornClaressa Maria Shields[1]
(1995-03-17) March 17, 1995 (age 26)
Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Nickname(s)T-Rex
NationalityAmerican
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Division
Reach68 in (173 cm)[2]
StyleBoxing
TeamJackson Wink MMA Academy (MMA)
Years active2021–present
Professional boxing record
Total11
Wins11
By knockout2
Losses0
Mixed martial arts record
Total1
Wins1
By knockout1
Losses0
Other information
Boxing record from BoxRec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
hide
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Women’s Amateur Boxing
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Middleweight
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Middleweight
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Jeju Middleweight
Gold medal – first place 2016 Astana Middleweight
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 2015 Toronto Light heavyweight

Claressa Maria Shields[1] (born March 17, 1995) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist.[3] She has held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the undisputed female light middleweight title since March 2021; the undisputed female middleweight title from 2019 to 2020; and the unified WBC and IBF female super middleweight titles from 2017 to 2018. Shields currently holds the record for becoming a two and three-weight world champion in the fewest professional fights.[4] As of November 2020, she is ranked as the world's best active female light middleweight by The Ring[5] and BoxRec,[6] as well as the best active female boxer, pound for pound, by Lineal Boxing Champion [7] and ESPN,[8] second by The Ring,[5] and fourth by BoxRec.[9]

Shields is the only boxer in history, female or male, to hold all four major world titles in boxing—WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO—simultaneously, in two weight classes. She is the first woman to win lineal championships in two weight classes.[10]

In a decorated amateur career, Shields won gold medals in the women's middleweight division at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, making her the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic medals.[11] Shields was the youngest boxer at the February 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, winning the event in the 165 lb (75 kg) middleweight division.[12][13][14] In May, she qualified for the 2012 games, the first year in which women's boxing was an Olympic event,[15] and went on to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. Her only loss professional or amateur comes from British fighter Savannah Marshall.[16] In 2018, the Boxing Writers Association of America named her the Female Fighter of the Year.[17]

Early life[]

Shields was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, where she was a high school junior in May 2012.[12][13] She was introduced to boxing by her father, Bo Shields, who had boxed in underground leagues.[13][18] Bo was in prison from the time Shields was two years old, and released when she was nine. After his release, he talked to her about boxer Laila Ali, piquing her interest in the sport.[19] Bo, however, believed that boxing was a men's sport and refused to allow Shields to pursue it until she was eleven.[13][18][20] At that time she began boxing at Berston Field House in Flint, where she met her coach and trainer, Jason Crutchfield.[18] Shields credits her grandmother with encouraging her to not accept restrictions based on her gender.[13][21]

Amateur career[]

Shields (left) vs. Yenebier Guillén Benítez, 2015

After winning two Junior Olympic championships, Shields competed in her first open-division tournament, the National Police Athletic League Championships 2011; she won the middleweight title and was named top overall fighter and also qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials.[22][23] At the 2012 Olympic Trials, she defeated the reigning national champion, Franchón Crews-Dezurn, the 2010 world champion, Andrecia Wasson, and Pittsburgh's Tika Hemingway to win the middleweight class.[22][13] In April 2011, she won her weight class at the Women's Elite Continental Championships in Cornwall, Ontario against three-time defending world champion Mary Spencer of Canada; she held an undefeated record of 25 wins and 0 losses at that point.[13][18][24]

Following Shields' victory at the U.S. Olympic Trials, it was initially reported that she would need only a top-8 finish at the 2012 AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships in Qinhuangdao, China, in order to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.[14] On May 10, the day after the contest began but before Shields' first bout, a change to the rules was announced that meant Shields would need to place in the top two from the (North, Central, and South) American Boxing Confederation region of AIBA (AMBC).[25] Shields won her first round but was beaten in the second round on May 13 to Savannah Marshall of England, bringing Shields' record to 26–1.[26] Her chances for qualification thus depended on Marshall's subsequent performance; after Marshall advanced to the middleweight finals on May 18, it was announced that Shields had earned an Olympic berth. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, she won the gold medal in the women's middleweight division after beating Russian boxer Nadezda Torlopova 19–12.[15][27]

In 2014, Shields won the World Championship gold medal,[28] and the following year, she became the first American to win titles in women's boxing at the Olympics and Pan American Games.[29]

Shields won the gold medal at the 2016 AMBC Olympic Qualifying tournament in Argentina.[30] Later that year at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, she won the gold medal in the women's middleweight division by defeating Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands. She was awarded the inaugural women's division of the Val Barker Trophy at the competition.[31] Her back-to-back Olympic gold medal wins made her the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic titles.[11]

Her amateur boxing record was 77 wins (19 by knockout[26][32][33]) and 1 loss.[34][35]

Professional boxing career[]

In November 2016, Shields officially went pro. She won her first match, against Franchón Crews-Dezurn, by unanimous decision.[36]

On March 10, 2017, she faced Szilvia Szabados for the North American Boxing Federation middleweight title, and won. This was the main event on ShoBox, with a regional title fight between Antonio Nieves and Nikolai Potapov serving as the co-main event.[37] It was the first time a women's boxing bout was the main event on a United States premium network card.[38][39]

On June 16, 2017, Shields headlined the "Detroit Brawl," facing Sydney LeBlanc in her first scheduled eight-round bout. LeBlanc signed on with three days notice, after Mery Rancier dropped out due to visa issues.[40][41] Shields won the bout by decision after all eight rounds.[42]

On August 4, 2017, Shields defeated defending champ Nikki Adler in Detroit for the WBC super-middleweight belt and the vacant IBF super-middleweight belt. The fight was on Showtime.[43]

On January 12, 2018, Shields retained her WBC and IBF female super middleweight titles, and won the WBAN super-middleweight title by defeating 17-0 Tori Nelson. It was Shields' first time going all 10 rounds in her professional career.[44][45][46]

On June 22, 2018, in just her sixth professional fight, Shields defeated Hanna Gabriel by unanimous decision, winning the vacant WBA and inaugural IBF middleweight belts, breaking the record for becoming a two-weight world champion in the fewest professional fights, a record previously held by Vasyl Lomachenko.[47] During Round 1, she experienced the first knock down of her professional career. She dropped down from 168 pounds to 160 for the fight. This was her first fight with trainer John David Jackson, having worked with Jason Crutchfield for the previous 5.[48][49]

On December 8, 2018, Shields' fight aired on HBO, her first appearance on the network, a fight which was a part of the last boxing card to occur on HBO.[50]

On April 13, 2019, Shields became the undisputed women's middleweight world champion, unifying the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO middleweight titles, along with The Ring magazine's inaugural middleweight belt, after defeating Christina Hammer by unanimous decision.[51] The victory was a near shutout with two judges scoring the bout 98–91 while a third judge scored it 98–92.

Shields was scheduled to fight Ivana Habazin for the vacant WBO junior middleweight title in Flint, Michigan, on October 5, 2019.[52] However, the fight was postponed due to Habazin's trainer being attacked at the weigh in.[53]

On January 10, 2020, the battle between Shields and Habazin took place with an all female ring (referee). Claressa won by unanimous decision, 99–89, 100-90 and 100–89, and became the fastest ever to win titles in 3 divisions male or female in history.

On March 5, 2021, Shields defeated Marie-Eve Dicaire by unanimous decision to retain her WBC and WBO super welterweight titles, claim IBF 154-pound belt, and vacant WBA light middleweight strap. With the win she has become the first world champion boxer in four-belt era to hold undisputed titles in two different weight divisions.[54][55]

Professional mixed martial arts career[]

In November 2020, Shields had signed a three-year contract with Professional Fighters League and was expected to make her mixed martial arts debut in 2021.[3][56] Since Shields first announced that her MMA debut, she has also begun training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has gone to train under IBJJF no gi World Champion Roberto Alencar, alongside Holly Holm.[57] She also started training at JacksonWink MMA in late 2020.[58]

Shields made her MMA debut at PFL 4 on June 10, 2021, against Brittney Elkin.[59] She won the fight via technical knockout in round three.[60]

Her second bout was initially scheduled to take place on the PFL 9 event on August 27, 2021, against an opponent yet to be named.[61] However in July 12, 2021, news surfaced that her bout was rescheduled to take place on on August 19, 2021 in order to garner more exposure at an ESPN-aired PFL 8 event.[62] It was eventually rescheduled for PFL 10 on October 27, 2021, with Shields facing Abigail Montes.[63]

Personal life[]

Shields and Vice President Joe Biden in 2012. Shields introduced Biden during a 2012 campaign stop in Michigan.

Shields is from Flint, Michigan. Shields was baptized at age 13 (two years after she began boxing) and began attending a local church. She found strength in her Christian faith and eventually left home.[64]

Shields attempted to adopt her cousin's daughter in 2014.[65]

Shields is an ambassador for Up2Us Sports, a national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting underserved youth by providing them with coaches trained in positive youth development.[66]

Shields is also an ambassador for gender equality in sports, particularly boxing, which she insists is under-covered by the media.[67][68]

Shields is a pescatarian.[69]

Filmography[]

Shields is the subject of the 2015 documentary "T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold."[70][71] In 2016 Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast, which holds Olympic broadcast rights in the United States, acquired the rights to produce a film about her life story.[72] Barry Jenkins is the screenwriter.[73] Entitled Flint Strong, Rachel Morrison will be directing, with actress Ryan Destiny portraying Shields.

Shields will be acting in the Susan Seidelman-directed film Punch Me.[74]

In 2018, Shields acted in a Walmart ad directed by Dee Rees.[75][76]

Awards[]

In 2017, Shields won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Award for "Biggest Powerhouse."[77] In 2018, Shields was inducted into the USA Boxing Alumni Association's Hall of Fame.[78] The Boxing Writers Association of America gave her the 2018 Christy Martin Award - Female Fighter of the Year.[79]

Professional boxing record[]

Professional record summary hide
11 fights 11 wins 0 losses
By knockout 2 0
By decision 9 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
11 Win 11–0 Canada Marie-Eve Dicaire UD 10 Mar 5, 2021 United States Dort Financial Center, Flint, Michigan, U.S. Retained WBC and WBO female light middleweight titles;
Won IBF, vacant WBA (Super) and The Ring female light middleweight titles
10 Win 10–0 Croatia Ivana Habazin UD 10 Jan 10, 2020 United States Ocean Casino Resort, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Won vacant WBC and WBO light middleweight titles
9 Win 9–0 Germany Christina Hammer UD 10 Apr 13, 2019 United States Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF female middleweight titles;
Won WBO and inaugural The Ring female middleweight titles
8 Win 8–0 Belgium Femke Hermans UD 10 Dec 8, 2018 United States StubHub Center, Carson, California, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF female middleweight titles
7 Win 7–0 United Kingdom Hannah Rankin UD 10 Nov 17, 2018 United States Kansas Star Arena, Mulvane, Kansas, U.S. Retained WBA and IBF female middleweight titles;
Won vacant WBC female middleweight title
6 Win 6–0 Costa Rica Hanna Gabriels UD 10 Jun 22, 2018 United States Masonic Temple, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Won vacant WBA and inaugural IBF female middleweight titles
5 Win 5–0 United States Tori Nelson UD 10 Jan 12, 2018 United States Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York, U.S. Retained WBC and IBF female super middleweight titles;
Won WBAN lineal super middleweight title
4 Win 4–0 Germany Nikki Adler TKO 5 (10), 1:34 Aug 4, 2017 United States MGM Grand, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Won WBC and inaugural IBF female super middleweight titles
3 Win 3–0 United States Sydney LeBlanc UD 8 Jun 16, 2017 United States Masonic Temple, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Won vacant WBC Silver female super middleweight title
2 Win 2–0 Hungary Szilvia Szabados TKO 4 (6), 1:30 Mar 10, 2017 United States MGM Grand, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Won vacant NABF female middleweight title
1 Win 1–0 United States Franchón Crews-Dezurn UD 4 Nov 19, 2016 United States T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.

Mixed martial arts record[]

Professional record breakdown hide
1 match 1 win 0 losses
By knockout 1 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 1–0 Brittney Elkin TKO (punches) PFL 4 June 10, 2021 3 1:44 Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.

[80]

References[]

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Further reading[]

External links[]

Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Inaugural champion NABF female
middleweight champion
March 10, 2017 – August 2017
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Raquel Miller
Minor world boxing titles
New title WBC Silver female
super middleweight champion
June 16, 2017 – August 4, 2017
Won world title 		Vacant
Major world boxing titles
Preceded by
Nikki Adler 		WBC female
super middleweight champion
August 4, 2017 – September 2018
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Franchón Crews-Dezurn
Inaugural champion IBF female
super middleweight champion
August 4, 2017 – June 2018
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Elin Cederroos
Vacant
Title last held by
Teresa Perozzi 		WBA female
middleweight champion
June 22, 2018 – present 		Incumbent
Inaugural champion IBF female
middleweight champion
June 22, 2018 – present
Vacant
Title last held by
Christina Hammer 		WBC female
middleweight champion
November 17, 2018 – present
Preceded by
Christina Hammer 		WBO female
middleweight champion
April 13, 2019 – September 2020 		Vacant
Title next held by
Savannah Marshall
Inaugural champion The Ring female
middleweight champion
April 13, 2019 – present 		Incumbent
Undisputed female
middleweight champion
April 13, 2019 – September 2020 		Vacant
Vacant
Title last held by
Ewa Piątkowska 		WBC light middleweight champion
January 10, 2020 – present 		Incumbent
Vacant
Title last held by
Hanna Gabriels 		WBO light middleweight champion
January 10, 2020 – present
WBA light middleweight champion
Super title
March 5, 2021 – present
Preceded by
Marie-Eve Dicaire 		IBF light middleweight champion
March 5, 2021 – present
Inaugural champion The Ring female
light middleweight champion
March 5, 2021 – present
Undisputed female
light middleweight champion
March 5, 2021 – present
Awards
Previous:
Cecilia Brækhus 		BWAA Female Fighter of the Year
2018 		Succeeded by
Katie Taylor
Records
Preceded by
Vasyl Lomachenko
7 		Fewest professional fights
to win a major world title
in two weight classes
6
June 22, 2018 – present 		Incumbent
Preceded by
Vasyl Lomachenko
12 		Fewest professional fights
to win a major world title
in three weight classes
10
January 10, 2020 – present
Retrieved from ""