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Claressa Maria Shields (born March 17, 1995) is an American professional boxer and former professional mixed martial artist. She has held 18 major world championships spanning 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 from 2024 to 2025 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 August 12, 2025, she is ranked the world's best active female light heavyweight by BoxRec, as well as the best active female boxer, pound for pound, by ESPN and The Ring.
Shields is the only female boxer in history 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 boxing 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 middleweight division.Barnas, Jo-Ann. "Flint boxer Claressa Shields takes next step toward Olympics on Friday." Detroit Free Press, May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 11, 2012. In May, she qualified for the 2012 Games, the first year in which women's boxing was an Olympic event,Barnas, Jo-Ann. "Flint boxer Claressa Shields, 17, qualifies for Olympics." Detroit Free Press, May 18, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012. 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 was also a former professional mixed martial artist, competing in the Professional Fighters League.
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).Barnas, Jo-Ann. "Flint boxer Claressa Shields' path to Olympics changes course." Detroit Free Press, May 11, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
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.
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.
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 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.
Following her win over Perkins, Shields tested positive in competition for marijuana, but was eventually cleared of wrongdoing following receipt of evidence that a procedural error occurred.
On March 3, 2025, Shields opted to vacated her WBO light heavyweight title as the organization doesn’t allow their champions to hold belts in two divisions simultaneously.
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.
On May 19, 2025, Shields announced her retirement from MMA.
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 Pescetarianism 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.
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.
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Lani Daniels | UD | 10 | Jul 26, 2025 | ||
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Danielle Perkins | UD | 10 | Feb 2, 2025 | ||
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse | TKO | 2 (10), | Jul 27, 2024 | ||
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Maricela Cornejo | UD | 10 | Jun 3, 2023 | ||
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Savannah Marshall | UD | 10 | Oct 15, 2022 | ||
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Ema Kozin | UD | 10 | Feb 5, 2022 | ||
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Marie-Eve Dicaire | UD | 10 | Mar 5, 2021 | ||
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Ivana Habazin | UD | 10 | Jan 10, 2020 | ||
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Christina Hammer | UD | 10 | Apr 13, 2019 | ||
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Femke Hermans | UD | 10 | Dec 8, 2018 | ||
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Hannah Rankin | UD | 10 | Nov 17, 2018 | ||
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Hanna Gabriels | UD | 10 | Jun 22, 2018 | ||
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Tori Nelson | UD | 10 | Jan 12, 2018 | ||
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Nikki Adler | TKO | 5 (10), | Aug 4, 2017 | ||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Sydney LeBlanc | UD | 8 | Jun 16, 2017 | ||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Szilvia Szabados | 4 (6), | Mar 10, 2017 | |||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Franchón Crews-Dezurn | 4 | Nov 19, 2016 |
2012 U.S. Olympic Trials Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament
September 15, 2012: Key to the City of Flint, Michigan
2013 AIBA Youth Woman Boxer of the Year
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
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