Claressa Shields is Ready
By Eddie Sanchez
Flint, Michigan native Claressa Shields is as elite of an athlete as they come. She has a perfect record in boxing with eleven victories and zero defeats. While being undefeated in boxing isn’t the most uncommon status shared by her contemporaries, with context, you will realize that she has held multiple world titles in three weight divisions. In two of these divisions, light middleweight (154 pounds) and middleweight (160 pounds), she was the undisputed champion. These accomplishments were also made in record time.
No one has accomplished what she has in the same amount of bouts, but what makes her so spectacular are her fights outside of the ring. Beyond becoming recognized as the GWOAT (Greatest Woman-boxer of All Time) by many in the world of combat sports, Claressa has focused much of her young career on increasing representation for women in boxing, creating avenues for equal pay for women, and striving to be great in an entirely different sport. These endeavors are only made possible through her credibility within the squared circle, as boxing-purists will commonly refer to their sport as.
Claressa Shields is a strong woman who learned perseverance and struggles from a young age. Considering her father was in prison for seven years until she was nine years old, she had to learn many values and life skills from her extended family and mentors. When she was able to reconnect fully with her father, he introduced boxing to her and taught her about the great Laila Ali (24 – 0, 21 KOs). By age eleven, she was fully invested in the sport, despite being surrounded by gender-conforming opinions from those close to her. From the guidance of her coach Jason Crutchfield, she earned an immaculate amateur record of seventy-seven victories to only one defeat. This record included Gold Medal victories at the 2012 Olympics, 2014 World Championships, 2015 Pan American Games, 2016 World Championships, and 2016 Olympics.
With five gold medals on her person, she turned professional a few short months later and earned her first title by her second professional bout. Her resume reads as a who’s-who of women’s boxing. Stemming from her early rise to championship status, she became the quickest two-weight and three-weight world champion in boxing history.
Despite Shields’ rise to fame and elite status, the boxing industry has its faults. Claressa has been very vocal about issues that directly impact women’s boxing. “We are as great as the men,” she told FOX Business’ Making Money with Charles Payne.
“Women’s boxing didn’t put those rules down for us to fight two minutes. The men did,” she explained. “And I feel like they did that to keep us at our pay wages to where we don’t make as much as them because we don’t fight the same time. We are willing to fight three-minute rounds for 12 rounds to even the playing field to where we say, ‘We want equal pay. We’re also putting in equal work.”
Equal pay for women is an issue across all industries on a global scale. Claressa has made concerted efforts to do her part to remedy this as much as possible in her industry, which is commendable. Despite the frustrations and political hoops within boxing that she has had to navigate, Claressa Shields carried out an All Women’s Pay-Per-View card called Superwomen, which she headlined against highly-acclaimed boxer Marie-Eve Decaire.
“Listen, women have to stop depending on men to give us shots at everything,” Shields expressed to ESPN leading up to the PPV card. “Women’s boxing is a hot commodity. Don’t let no other network tell you that it’s not. Women’s boxing is in, just like women’s MMA. All we need to do is have our own platform and show them that we have fans and that we can sell pay-per-view buys.” Having their own platform was secured and accomplished despite respectable media members creating a negative perception leading up to the fight night.
It’s one thing for misogynistic undertones to be expressed by the public who make their own choices on whether or not to purchase a fight. It is an entirely different issue when a media member like Mike Coppinger, arguably one of the three most influential current media members in the boxing industry, interacts with fans in a way that could persuade potential consumers to dismiss the first PPV card headlined by women since Laila Ali did so in 2001. While unintentional, this type of coverage enables pay-disparity between men and women in the sport.
The GWOAT is also in the process of indirectly challenging the boxing industry with her adoption of a mixed-martial-arts career. In June 2021, she had her first fight with the Professional Fighters League. Her transition into MMA has been equal parts intriguing and critiqued. Combat sports fans in general love-to-hate to admit that they love crossover fights. Although boxing and MMA appear similar from a glance, the techniques used differ tremendously as completely different sports. Members of the boxing media questioned her move, considering her boxing legacy as the GWOAT. It is still argued that she may negatively impact her legacy if she is to get dominated in MMA, but Claressa is all about the business!
Her first fight was fantastic! The PFL is a relatively new league and her participation has been greatly appreciated. Claressa has been very vocal about the physical challenges within MMA. In most respects, she has mastered boxing. Training her body to use different muscles, techniques and awareness offer a learning curve that she has had to take on kinesthetically.
In her first PFL fight with Brittney Elkin, it was clear that her striking was a difference-maker. For much of the fight, she was able to keep Brittney at a distance and weather flurries. Likewise, given her lack of experience, defending takedowns was also an issue. While she had a tendency to get brought to the ground she showed much poise while maneuvering through ground strikes and submission attempts.’ Even at the bottom position, her striking was effective enough to slow Brittney’s attacks enough to get to her feet. Eventually, she was able to sweep and get a reversal, and from top position, her significant strikes closed the show.
This was an amazing accomplishment for anyone in their first professional fight, but coming from a woman boxer, this was magnificent. This fight was not just a scratched-itch however! She is determined to be great. Her second opportunity to make an impression is on October 27, against Abigail Montes. For Claressa to realize her goals, this will be the fight of her life.
In an interview with MMAJunkie, PFL CEO, Peter Murray, had this to say about Claressa Shields’ MMA career leading into the late-October bout: “We’re excited to see how she does, but ultimately, it’s really all about does she have what it takes to get into the 2022 season to then be in the cage with the Kayla Harrisons of the world. And so she’s on that journey, that’s what she’s working towards. And we’ll see after the second event where she’s at and what else she needs to do to further develop as an MMA fighter to put her in a position to get the green light into the ’22 season.”
For context, the PFL is a league that uses a regular and postseason structure that finishes with million-dollar grand prize winners in each weight class. The roster of athletes that are eligible for this tournament style of play is selectively chosen. Like anyone else, she has to earn her keep.
The adversity and pressure associated with this situation is second nature for Claressa. She is battle-tested in a professional sense and personal sense. The challenges she chooses to face go beyond her in-ring competition. With each fight throughout her journey, she represents all women, especially those she considers her contemporaries. All eyes will be on her this coming October. From boxing and MMA fans wishing her well to the execs in charge, or the women who view her as a role model, she will not shy away from exercising greatness.
