Claressa Shields

Claressa Maria Shields (born March 17, 1995) is an American professional boxer and professional mixed martial artist. She has held multiple world championships in five weight classes, including the undisputed female light middleweight title in March 2021; the undisputed female middleweight title twice between 2019 and 2024; the World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) female super middleweight titles from 2017 to 2018; the World Boxing Organization (WBO) female light heavyweight title and the undisputed female heavyweight title since February 2025. Shields currently holds the record for becoming a two, three, four and five division world champion in the fewest professional fights. As of October 2022, she is ranked the world's best active female middleweight by BoxRec, as well as the best active female boxer, pound for pound, by ESPN and The Ring.
Shields is the only boxer in history, female or male, to hold all four major world titles in boxing—WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO, in three weight classes. She is also the third (Amanda Serrano, Naoko Fujioka) female boxer in history to become champion in five different divisions.
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. Shields was the youngest boxer at the February 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, winning the event in the 165 lb (75 kg) middleweight division. In May, she qualified for the 2012 Games, the first year in which women's boxing was an Olympic event, and went on to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. The Boxing Writers Association of America named her the Female Fighter of the Year in 2018 and 2022.
Shields is also a professional mixed martial artist, competing in the Professional Fighters League.
Shields was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, where she was a high school junior in May 2012. She was introduced to boxing by her father, Bo Shields, who had boxed in underground leagues. Bo was in prison from the time Shields was two to nine years old. After his release, he talked to her about boxer Laila Ali, piquing her interest in the sport. Bo, however, believed that boxing was a men's sport and refused to allow Shields to pursue it until she was eleven. At that time she began boxing at Berston Field House in Flint, where she met her coach and trainer, Jason Crutchfield. Shields credits her grandmother with encouraging her to not accept restrictions based on her gender.
After winning a couple of regional titles and 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. 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. In April 2012, 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.
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.
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).
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.
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, aged 17, she won the gold medal in the women's middleweight division after beating veteran Russian boxer Nadezda Torlopova 19–12. This made her the first American woman to win a boxing gold medal.
In October 2012, she competed in her second National PAL Championships, beating Franchón Crews-Dezurn in the finals to win gold at middleweight in the open division.
At the 2013 IBA Youth World Boxing Championships in Bulgaria, Shields defeated polish boxer Elżbieta Wójcik to win gold in the middleweight class.
In 2014, Shields won gold at the U.S. National Championships in Spokane, Washington. In June 2014, she beat Yenebier Guillén in the finals of the Pan American Olympic Festival and took home gold at middleweight. In September, she defeated Canada's Ariane Fortin in the final round to win the middleweight title at the Elite Women's Continental Championships for the second time of her amateur boxing career. She picked up yet another gold medal at the World Championships in Jeju City, South Korea, and the following year, she became the first American to win titles in women's boxing at the Olympics and Pan American Games. As a result of her performance in the 2015 Pan American Games, she was given the honour of serving as Team USA's flag bearer at the closing ceremony.
Shields defended her gold at the 2015 U.S. National Championships by defeating Raquel Miller in the finals.
Shields won the gold medal at the 2016 AMBC Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Argentina defeating Dominican Republic's Yenebier Guillén in her final bout on her 21st birthday. In May 2016, Shields defeated Nouchka Fontijn by unanimous decision to win gold at the World Championships. Later that year, at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, she won the gold medal in the women's middleweight division by again defeating Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands. She was awarded the inaugural women's division of the Val Barker Trophy at the competition. Her back-to-back Olympic gold medal wins made her the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic titles.
Her amateur boxing record was 77 wins (18 by knockout) and 1 loss.
In November 2016, Shields officially went pro. She won her first match, against Franchón Crews-Dezurn, by unanimous decision.
On March 10, 2017, she faced Szilvia Szabados for the North American Boxing Federation middleweight title, and won by TKO. This was the main event on ShoBox, with a regional title fight between Antonio Nieves and Nikolai Potapov serving as the co-main event. It was the first time a women's boxing bout was the main event on a United States premium network card.
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. Shields won the bout by decision after all eight rounds.
On August 4, 2017, Shields defeated defending champ Nikki Adler at MGM Grand Detroit for the WBC super-middleweight belt and the vacant IBF super-middleweight belt. By 5th Rd TKO the ref had to jump in to protect The undefeated Nikki Adler. The fight was broadcast on Showtime.
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.
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. 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.
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. She faced Femke Hermans outboxing her all 10 rounds for a unanimous decision victory.
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. 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. However, the fight was postponed due to Habazin's trainer being attacked at the weigh in. The fight eventually took place on January 10, 2020, with an all female ring (referee). The Atlantic boardwalk hall had a sold out Venue as 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 became the first boxer in the four-belt era to hold undisputed titles in two weight classes, and the first female boxer to be an undisputed champion in two weight classes. This fight took place in Shields' hometown with a limited crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shields then faced Ema Kozin on February 5, 2022. She captured a unanimous decision with all referees scoring every round for her, and retained her WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring female middleweight titles meanwhile winning the WBF female middleweight title also.
Shields was initially scheduled to face reigning WBO Middleweight Champion Savannah Marshall in a title unification bout on September 10, 2022. However, due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II the bout was postponed to take place on October 15, 2022.
On the night of the fight, Shields went the full 10-round distance against Marshall. According to CompuBox stats, Shields outlanded Marshall 175 to 136; landed significantly more jabs, 44 to 14; and landed more power, 131 to 122. Shields won via unanimous decision with two judges scoring the fight 97–93 and one scoring it 96–94, all in favor of Shields to become the undisputed middleweight world champion. This fight occurred at the O2 Arena and was the first time two female boxers headlined at a major venue in the United Kingdom. As well, the fight headlined the first all-female boxing card in the United Kingdom.
On June 3, 2023, Shields defeated Maricela Cornejo by unanimous decision at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan to retain her undisputed middleweight title. After dominating from start to finish, the judges scored the bout 100-89, 100-90 and 100-90.
Shields was scheduled to challenge Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for her WBC heavyweight title at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI on July 27, 2024. The bout was contested at 175 pounds with the vacant WBF heavyweight and WBO light heavyweight titles also on the line. Shields won the fight via second-round TKO, dropping Joanisse three times along the way.
On February 2, 2025, Shields faced Danielle Perkins for the undisputed heavyweight championship at Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. She scored the fight's lone knockdown in the waning seconds of the tenth round and won the bout by unanimous decision with the judges scorecards reading 97-92, 99-90, and 100-89- all for Shields. Thanks to the victory, she became the only three-division undisputed champion, male or female, of the four-belt era. Following her win over Perkins, Shields tested positive in competion for marijuana.
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. 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. She also started training at JacksonWink MMA in late 2020.
Shields made her MMA debut at PFL 4 on June 10, 2021, against Brittney Elkin. She won the fight via technical knockout in round three.
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. However, on July 12, 2021, news surfaced that her bout was rescheduled to take place on August 19, 2021, in order to garner more exposure at an ESPN-aired PFL 8 event. It was eventually rescheduled for PFL 10 on October 27, 2021, with Shields facing Abigail Montes. Shields lost the bout via split decision.
In August 2023, it was announced that Shields had re-signed a multi-year contract with Professional Fighters League to continue competing in mixed martial arts.
Shields faced Kelsey DeSantis on February 24, 2024, at PFL vs. Bellator. She was unable to make the appropriate weight for her fight with DeSantis, forcing her opponent to fight up two weight classes, with the bout taking place at 165 pounds. Shields won the bout via split decision.
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.
Shields attempted to adopt her cousin's daughter in 2014.
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.
Shields is also an ambassador for gender equality in sports, particularly boxing, which is under-covered by the media.
In 2021 Shields followed a pescatarian diet, and later appeared on an interview with Mythical Kitchen eating meat.
On June 19, 2022, her hometown city of Flint, Michigan renamed a street in her honor.
In 2024 it was revealed that Shields was in a secret relationship with Brooklyn rapper Papoose. Papoose's estranged wife Remy Ma took to social media to confirm the secret romance between Shields and her husband Papoose. Her relationship with Papoose has since become public knowledge. Shields has publicly opened up about her love for Papoose, and the two were spotted together at Hawaii fest 2025.
Shields is the subject of the 2015 documentary T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold which follows her dreams of being the first woman in history to win a gold medal in Olympic boxing.
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, which was released in 2024 as The Fire Inside. Ryan Destiny portrays Shields in the film.
In 2016, Shields was slated to act in the Susan Seidelman-directed film Punch Me.
In December 2016, Shields became the third woman (Cathy Davis, Ronda Rousey) and second female boxer ever to grace the cover of The Ring magazine.
In 2018, Shields acted in a Walmart ad directed by Dee Rees.
2011 National PAL Championships Most Outstanding Female Fighter
2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament
2013 WBAN Top Amateur (Youth) Elite Boxer of the Year
2014 WBAN Top Amateur Boxer of the Year
2015 USA Boxing Female Athlete of the Year
She was awarded Outstanding Boxer at the World Championships in May 2016
In August 2016, she was awarded the Val Barker Trophy, given to the most outstanding boxer of the Olympics
Shields was honored as the Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation in 2016, 2019, and 2023
In 2017, Shields won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Award for "Biggest Powerhouse."
2017 USA Today Female Fighter of the Year
2017 Yahoo Sports Female Fighter of the Year
In January 2018, her boxing gloves were enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame
In 2018, Shields was inducted into the USA Boxing Alumni Association's Hall of Fame
2018 The Ring Female Fighter of the Year and Fight of the Year
The Boxing Writers Association of America gave her the Christy Martin Award - Female Fighter of the Year in 2018 and 2022
In December 2019, she was named Sporting News' Female Boxer of the Decade
BET Award for Sportswoman of the Year Nominee in 2020 and 2021
March 2021 WBA Female Boxer of the Month
2021 ESPN Mid-Year Awards Best Female Fighter
February 2022 WBA Fighter of the Month
2022 ESPN Women's Fighter of the Year
2022 WBA Female Fighter of the Year
2022 Sporting News Women's Boxer of the Year
In 2023, Shields became the first woman to win the Best Boxer ESPY Award
In 2024, the WBC awarded her the Performance of the Year for her victory against Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse