Back كلاريسا شيلدز Arabic كلاريسا شيلدز ARZ Claressa Shields AST Claressa Shields Catalan Claressa Shields German Claressa Shields Spanish کلارسا شیلدز Persian Claressa Shields Finnish Claressa Shields French Կլարեսա Շիլդս Armenian
Claressa Maria Shields[1] (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.[4] As of October 2022, she is ranked the world's best active female middleweight by BoxRec,[5] as well as the best active female boxer, pound for pound, by ESPN[6] and The Ring.[7]
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.
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.[8] Shields was the youngest boxer at the February 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, winning the event in the 165 lb (75 kg) middleweight division.[9][10][11] In May, she qualified for the 2012 Games, the first year in which women's boxing was an Olympic event,[12] and went on to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing.[13] In 2018, the Boxing Writers Association of America named her the Female Fighter of the Year.[14]
Shields is also a professional mixed martial artist, competing in the Professional Fighters League.[15]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
fnwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Claressa Shields ("T-Rex") | Boxer Page". Tapology. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
mmaf20bwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Claressa Shields dominates Ivana Habazin, becomes fastest fighter to win titles in three weight classes". www.cbssports.com. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "BoxRec: Female light middleweight ratings". BoxRec. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ "Women's boxing pound-for-pound rankings: Where do Taylor and Serrano land?". ESPN. October 22, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "The Ring Women's Ratings". The Ring. September 8, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
autowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
oriordanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
usatodaywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Barnas, Jo-Ann. "Flint boxer Claressa Shields takes next step toward Olympics on Friday." [permanent dead link] Detroit Free Press, May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012.
- ^ Barnas, Jo-Ann. "Flint boxer Claressa Shields, 17, qualifies for Olympics." Detroit Free Press, May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
- ^ Maese, Rick (August 12, 2012). "Claressa Shields wins only gold medal for U.S. boxing at London Olympics, and the first by a woman". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ Santoliquito, Joseph (December 17, 2018). "Claressa Shields Is The BWAA's 2018 Female Fighter of the Year". boxingwriters. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
mmaf20was invoked but never defined (see the help page).