“Greatest Woman of All Time”
By: Jerome X Bunton
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Now introducing America’s number one women’s boxing sensation. Hailing from “The fighting city” of Flint, Michigan. With a record of eleven dominant wins and zero losses, two wins coming by way of Knockout. A two-time American Olympic gold medalist, she is currently the unified defending WBC and IBF super-middleweight champion.
Furthermore, she is now the reigning and defending two-time undisputed middleweight and light middleweight boxing queen of the world. I present to you the highly talented Claressa “T-Rex” Shields. This boxing phenom has taken over women’s boxing as well as combat sports in general. However, Clarissa Shields is way much more than her pugilistic prowess and accomplishments. She has also become a trailblazer for the fight for human equality on multiple levels. The “baddest” woman in boxing may appear to be only early off into her career, but she is worth the price of admission.
Claressa Shields is ultimately a woman amongst girls in the ring regarding women’s professional boxing. Shields is a very young and athletic woman. Even though Claressa Shields is a woman, she has no problems mixing it up with the men. Likewise, Shield’s skills usually far exceed the average woman boxer. Frequently she has had to seek out men sparring partners going back to the inception of her boxing career. What’s is more impressive than just her boxing attributes is that she also has the confidence to go with it.
Shields bravado and boisterous style is often compared to men’s boxing icons such as Muhammad Ali and Floyd “Money” Mayweather. Claressa Shields has recently dubbed herself the G.W.O.A.T (Greatest Woman of All-Time), even with only eleven professional fights. Moreover, she has such an excellent case for her G.W.O.A.T status because she has a spectacular ring resume. The boxing superstar boasts an undefeated record while holding championship honors in three different weight classes. Additionally, she is the only boxing professional to be a two-time undisputed champion, and yes, that is among both men and women.
Claressa Shields has dominated the sport of boxing so much that she is now seeking competition in other combat sports avenues. In 2019 Claressa Shields voiced that she would be willing to star in a crossover event with women’s MMA equal Amanda Nunes, the current reigning and defending UFC undisputed bantamweight and featherweight champion. Both fighters agreed that the fight is exciting and possible but has yet to be contracted. Nevertheless, Claressa Shields is committed to making sure she leaves no doubt in her pursuit to live up to her self-proclaimed G.W.O.A.T Stature. The queen of boxing has gone through great lengths to keep women’s combat sports relevant. Subsequently, she has continuously challenged a once-great but now retired boxing icon, Laila Ali. Shields has requested Ali to settle once and for all, who is the best woman fighter of all time. Laila Ali is the daughter of boxing mogul Muhammad Ali. Ali has been retired for fourteen years but retired a perfect 24-0. Without a doubt, this is a matchup that makes boxing fans salivate for joy. Ali has explored a potential match with the sensational young fighter; however, the fight has only materialized into fantasy for boxing fans to speculate about.
Even though Claressa Shields is a lot of brass, she is equally full of brains”. The Flint, Michigan native is not shy when using her platform to shine a light on the world’s inequalities throughout sports and everyday society. Importantly, Shields has been at the forefront of the Flint, Michigan water crisis by donating to improve the water dysfunction in her hometown. As well Claressa dawns blue braids at all her fights to generate awareness of the Flint water crisis. Equally important, the newly crowned boxing majesty has also pioneered equal pay and exposure for women’s sports. Shields is currently advocating multiple boxing commissions to put women’s boxing on the same rules and regulations as her male counterparts. Furthermore, she is starting her protest for women’s equality with a challenging and firm stance on equal pay and a change from two-minute rounds to an equivalent three-minute round boxing match. The courageous exemplification by this woman warrior has made her a pioneer for equality throughout sports in its totality.
There is no doubt that Claressa Shields has fought her way to the pinnacle of boxing’s peak of success. Miss Shields has gladly picked up the baton of burden for human rights. Unfortunately, her quest for greatness will not only be met with opposition and a certain degree of tribulation as well. This woman gladiator has undoubtedly made her mark on boxing. However, this woman athlete is more than just a “shut up and fight” combatant. Claressa Shield is an athlete that all fight fans can rally behind. Lastly, women’s sports have usually played second fiddle to their counterparts for so long, but in the words of famous singer Sam Cooke a “change is gonna come.” Women athletes may not have the same physical strength and attributes as men, unfortunately. However, athletes such as Claressa Shields have shown that women’s sports can be equally entertaining and thought-provoking if sports fans would only broaden their horizons and bypass biases. Claressa Shields may be a prizefighter in the ring, but she also deserving of a hero’s applaud for her work in other human rights arenas. The time to give women their props is now, not later, and what a great way to start is by providing this undisputed queen of the ring Claressa “The GWOAT” Shields her roses now while she is still entering her prime years.
