Claressa Shields went from a Flint gym to undisputed titles in three divisions

Claressa Shields came out of Flint, Michigan, to win two Olympic gold medals and then built a professional career that has taken her from light middleweight to heavyweight without a defeat. She calls herself the GWOAT, the greatest woman of all time, and her record of undisputed championships in three weight classes is the main argument behind the nickname.

A Flint Childhood and a Late Start in the Gym

Claressa Maria Shields was born on March 17, 1995, in Flint, Michigan. Boxing came into her life through her father, Bo Shields, who had fought in underground bouts. He also held the view that the sport belonged to men, and he did not let his daughter train until she was eleven. Her grandmother pushed in the other direction, telling her not to accept limits based on being a girl.

When she finally walked into Berston Field House in Flint, she met the coach who would shape her amateur years, Jason Crutchfield. Within a few years she was competing for places on the national team.

Two Olympic Golds at Middleweight

Women's boxing made its Olympic debut at the London Games in 2012, and Shields qualified by winning the middleweight division at the U.S. Olympic Trials. She was seventeen when she reached the final, where she beat Nadezda Torlopova of Russia 19–12. The win made her the first American woman to take an Olympic boxing gold medal.

The four years that followed filled out her amateur résumé. According to Wikipedia's summary of her career, she added a youth world title in 2013, senior world titles in 2014 and 2016, and a Pan American Games gold in Toronto in 2015. In Rio de Janeiro on August 21, 2016, she met Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands in the Olympic final at Riocentro and won a unanimous decision. NPR reported that the victory made her the first U.S. boxer, male or female, to win two Olympic gold medals. Fontijn was 29 at the time, eight years older than the champion.

Her story was already reaching beyond the sport. The documentary T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold was released in 2015, following her path to London, and Universal Pictures acquired the rights to her life story in 2016.

Turning Professional and Moving Up Fast

Shields made her professional debut on November 19, 2016, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, winning a four-round unanimous decision over Franchón Crews-Dezurn. It was also Crews-Dezurn's first professional bout, a detail that would matter almost a decade later.

She did not spend long on the undercard. On August 4, 2017, she stopped Nikki Adler in the fifth round to win the WBC and inaugural IBF super middleweight titles. In January 2018 she outpointed Tori Nelson to keep both belts and add the WBAN lineal title. She then dropped to middleweight, and on June 22, 2018, she beat Hanna Gabriels by unanimous decision for the vacant WBA and inaugural IBF belts at 160 pounds. Decisions over Hannah Rankin for the vacant WBC title in November 2018 and Femke Hermans the following month kept her moving toward a full unification.

Undisputed at Middleweight and Light Middleweight

The fight that completed the set came on April 13, 2019, against Christina Hammer of Germany, the long-reigning WBO champion. Shields won a unanimous decision, collected the WBO belt and the inaugural The Ring middleweight title, and became undisputed at 160 pounds.

She then went down another division. On January 10, 2020, in Atlantic City, she beat Ivana Habazin by unanimous decision for the vacant WBC and WBO light middleweight titles. On March 5, 2021, a decision over Marie-Eve Dicaire added the IBF and the vacant WBA (Super) belts, along with the inaugural The Ring title at 154 pounds. That made her undisputed in a second division.

Savannah Marshall and the Night at the O2

Back at middleweight, she won the WBF title against Ema Kozin in Cardiff in February 2022 and then turned to the one fighter British fans believed could beat her, Savannah Marshall, who held the WBO belt. The bout was set for September 10, 2022, at The O2 Arena in London but was pushed back after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. It finally took place on October 15, 2022, at the top of an all-women card.

Sky Sports reported scores of 96–94, 96–94 and 97–93 for Shields after ten close rounds. Taking Marshall's WBO title made her undisputed middleweight champion for a second time. Shields defended the undisputed title once more, outpointing Maricela Cornejo in Detroit on June 3, 2023.

A Short Spell in Mixed Martial Arts

Shields signed with the Professional Fighters League in November 2020 and fought three times in the cage. She stopped Brittney Elkin in the third round of her debut on June 10, 2021, lost a split decision to Abigail Montes that October, and beat Kelsey DeSantis by split decision in Riyadh in February 2024 at 165 pounds, after Shields missed weight. Her MMA record stands at 2–1, and she announced her retirement from the sport on May 19, 2025.

The Climb to Heavyweight

In 2024 Shields made her boldest move. On July 27, in Detroit, she stopped Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in the second round, winning the WBC heavyweight title and the vacant WBF belt; because the fight was contested at 175 pounds, the WBO light heavyweight title was also on the line. That same year The Fire Inside, the feature film about her life with Ryan Destiny in the lead role, was released.

On February 2, 2025, she fought in her hometown at the Dort Financial Center in Flint against the previously unbeaten Danielle Perkins. ESPN reported scores of 97–92, 99–90 and 100–89, with Shields dropping Perkins with a right hook late in the tenth round. The win gave her the vacant IBF and the inaugural WBA and WBO heavyweight titles alongside her WBC belt. ESPN and Sky Sports both noted that she became the first boxer, male or female, of the four-belt era to be undisputed in three weight classes. She also revealed that she had torn the labrum in her left shoulder the week before the fight.

A post-fight test returned positive for marijuana, and the Michigan commission suspended her on February 20, 2025. Shields denied use. In March the state dissolved the suspension and closed the complaint, citing evidence of a procedural error in collecting her oral fluid sample, and ESPN reported that she faced no further discipline. Two other boxers on the same card had also tested positive. Shields later vacated the WBO light heavyweight title on March 3, 2025, because the organisation does not allow a champion to hold belts in two divisions.

Defences, a Rematch and a Return to 160 Pounds

Shields retained her undisputed heavyweight title against Lani Daniels by unanimous decision in Detroit on July 26, 2025. On February 22, 2026, at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, she met Franchón Crews-Dezurn again, more than nine years after their shared debut. The Associated Press reported all three cards at 100–90 for Shields.

Six months later she went back to middleweight for the first time since 2023. On August 15, 2026, at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, she faced Kaye Scott, the WBC and WBA champion. Scott's corner threw in the towel at 1:38 of the sixth round, according to WDIV ClickOnDetroit, and Shields took both belts while remaining undisputed at heavyweight.

Professional Record and Titles

After the Kaye Scott fight in August 2026, WDIV ClickOnDetroit and Wikipedia list Shields at 19 wins, no losses and no draws. Outlets differ on how many of those wins came by knockout, with counts ranging from two to four. Her MMA record is 2–1.

Her major professional honours include undisputed status at light middleweight (2021), middleweight (2019 and 2022) and heavyweight (2025); WBC and IBF super middleweight titles; the WBO light heavyweight title; and the WBC and WBA middleweight belts regained in 2026. As an amateur she won Olympic gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016.

Sources

• Claressa Shields, Wikipedia, accessed 13 November 2026
• Shields drops Perkins, becomes undisputed heavyweight champ, ESPN (Eric Woodyard), 3 February 2025
• Claressa Shields becomes undisputed heavyweight champion and history maker after win over Danielle Perkins, Sky Sports, 3 February 2025
• Michigan commission suspension of Shields dissolved, ESPN, March 2025
• Shields reigns supreme over Marshall in epic undisputed clash, Sky Sports, 16 October 2022
• Claressa Shields of Michigan wins second straight gold medal, NPR (Bill Chappell, via KPBS), 21 August 2016
• Claressa Shields pounds out lopsided victory over rival Franchon Crews-Dezurn, Associated Press (via WTOP), 23 February 2026
• Claressa Shields' TKO of Kaye Scott cements superstar status, WDIV ClickOnDetroit, 17 August 2026
• Claressa Shields vs Kaye Scott result and reaction, BoxingNews, 16 August 2026