What is Claressa Shields's Net Worth?
Claressa Shields is a professional boxer and mixed martial artist who has a net worth of $1 million. Claressa Shield has held multiple boxing world championships across five different weight classes. She also won gold medals in the middleweight division at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics, becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. As a mixed martial artist, Shields competes in the Professional Fighters League.
Early Life and Education
Claressa Shields was born on March 17, 1995 in Flint, Michigan. Her father, Bo, had previously boxed in underground leagues, and introduced his daughter to the sport. However, believing boxing was for men, he initially forbade her from pursuing the sport. He eventually came around, and Shields started boxing at Berston Field House under coach and trainer Jason Crutchfield.
Amateur Boxing Career
After winning a pair of Junior Olympic championships, Shields competed in the National Police Athletic League Championships in 2011 and won the middleweight title. This qualified her for the 2012 US Olympic Trials, where she defeated reigning national champion Franchón Crews-Dezurn to win the middleweight division. Shields went on to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where women's boxing made its Olympic debut. With her gold medal win in the middleweight division, she became the first American woman to win a boxing gold medal at the Olympics. Shields continued to rise in the ranks over the ensuing years. In 2014, she won gold at the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships, and in 2015 she took gold at the Pan American Games. Shields had a huge year in 2016, claiming gold medals at both the World Championships and the Summer Olympics.
Start of Professional Boxing Career
Shields turned professional in late 2016, and won her first match in a unanimous-decision victory over Franchón Crews-Dezurn. In her next fight, in early 2017, she defeated Szilvia Szabados via TKO to claim the vacant NABF female middleweight title. Shields went on to win the vacant WBC Silver super middleweight title that June by defeating Sydney LeBlanc. In August, she won the WBC and inaugural IBF female super middleweight titles. Shields successfully defended both belts in early 2018 by defeating Tori Nelson; she also claimed the WBAN super middleweight title. That summer, she claimed the vacant WBA and inaugural IBF female middleweight titles. This made Shields the fastest boxer ever to earn world championships in two weight classes. Closing out 2018, she defeated Hannah Rankin and Femke Hermans to retain her WBA and IBF middleweight titles; she also won the vacant WBC middleweight title.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Undisputed World Championships
After defeating Christina Hammer in the spring of 2019, Shields won the WBO middleweight title and became the undisputed female middleweight world champion. Additionally, she won the inaugural The Ring female middleweight title. Shields's next fight was in early 2020, when she defeated Ivana Habazin for the vacant WBC and WBO female light middleweight titles. A little over a year later, Shields became the undisputed female light middleweight world champion when she beat Marie-Eve Dicaire. She successfully defended her middleweight titles in early 2022 against Ema Kozin, and also claimed the WBF middleweight title. Shields continued to retain her titles later in the year when she defeated Savannah Marshall, a win that earned her a career-high $1 million payday. She also picked up the WBO middleweight title with her victory. In the process, she became the undisputed female middleweight world champion for the second time in her career. In mid-2023, Shields defeated Maricela Cornejo to retain all of her middleweight titles.
Heavyweight
In the summer of 2024, Shields faced Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for her WBC and WBF heavyweight titles. Shields won the fight via second-round TKO, marking the fifth weight class in which she won a world championship.
Mixed Martial Arts Career
As a professional mixed martial artist, Shields made her debut in the Professional Fighters League at PFL 4 in mid-2021. There, she beat Brittney Elkin via technical knockout. In her next bout, at PFL 10 in October, she lost to Abigail Montes. Shields didn't have another MMA match until early 2024, when she beat Kelsey DeSantis at PFL vs. Bellator: Champs.
In the Media
In 2015, Shields was the subject of the documentary "T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold." Later, in 2024, she was the subject of the biographical film "The Fire Inside," directed by Rachel Morrison and starring Ryan Destiny as Shields.
