From her meteoric rise out from poverty and a dysfunctional home life in Flint, Michigan, to a pair of Olympic gold medals and world titles in five divisions as a professional boxer, Claressa Shields has built her name upon the principles of always staying true to herself.
Raw, real, brash, unapologetic and relentless would be just some of the adjectives used to describe the 29-year-old who, against all odds, willed herself to a life and career that has produced varying levels of highs and lows in the public eye.
Critics can call Shields (15-0, 3 KOs) whatever they want. Heck, she has gone as far as to call herself the “GWOAT” (shorthand for the Greatest Woman of All-Time) and began doing so as early as her first pro bout. But if Shields’ story is told correctly, it would be difficult to leave out the word inspirational.
“Being who I am is why I am here today,” Shields told CBS Sports last week. “I tried to make the changes that everybody was saying and it made me depressed, sad and not feel as powerful and strong as I am. I had to throw it out the window and just stick to being me and knowing that regardless of how the world looks at me, I know myself.
“I made a way out for me and my family. I am a once-in-a-lifetime woman and athlete. I feel good knowing that even though people are going to judge me. But I think that Flint mentality is just in me and I just love who I am. I’m happy that I didn’t let the world change me because who knows what it would have changed me into.”
On Christmas Day, the story of Shields’ improbable rise will hit theaters nationwide with the release of the Amazon MGM Studios biopic, “The Fire Inside,” directed by Rachel Morrison and starring Ryan Destiny as Shields. The film chronicles Shields’ run as a teenager to a pair of Olympic gold medals and focuses on the relationship between her and trainer/father figure Jason Crutchfield, played by Brian Tyree Henry.
The film isn’t your typical feel-good, underdog story. In fact, much like the city of Flint, which acts as an intimidating co-star thanks to the grit of Morrison’s cinematography, the movie is an unflinching look at the reality of the hand Shields was dealt growing up with an imprisoned father, alcoholic mother and the responsibility of looking after her younger siblings.
Watching the film adaption of so many bittersweet life memories, like when she first entered Flint’s iconic Berston Field House at age 11 against the wishes of her father, a former underground boxer, and was told that females weren’t allowed to train, brought tears to Shields’ eyes at the film’s September premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“I watched it and I said, ‘What the hell? That was really my life,'” Shields said. “And then to see things I put so far back in my head, it was really painful to see how I didn’t grow up with any food and how my mother and my relationship wasn’t that great. At a time when I didn’t have friends and I didn’t have support, I had Jason and I had boxing.
“I know that my life is about to change on Christmas Day. People will have a better understanding of who I am and what I have been trying to tell people the whole time. Now, I feel like they will have a great understanding and want to support me until I die.”
The most interesting part of Destiny’s star-making performance as Shields is that the two never met for the first time until the film’s premiere. Shields, who exchanged phone calls and texts with Destiny throughout the film’s production, advised the 29-year-old actress, who was born the same year as Shields in nearby Detroit, to watch the 2015 documentary “T-Rex,” which followed Shields’ rise from Flint to Olympic glory.
The resulting performance from Destiny left the ruthlessly honest Shields in awe, not just for how she portrayed the hopeful grit of an ultra competitive, teenage Shields but for how realistic the boxing scenes were.
“I told her to watch [the documentary] because that’s how I really was and I never faked the funk on anything. That was just raw and uncut,” Shields said. “When I met [Destiny], her mom was right there. We just started screaming like some little girls in high school. We were screaming and hugging for like three minutes. It was ridiculous. Her mom was crying, Ryan was crying, I was crying. I was so happy.
“[Destiny] was worried I wouldn’t like it or that I wouldn’t like her boxing. But I can’t really fake it so if I didn’t like it, I would have told her [but] she didn’t come to play. She nailed it with that confidence, that strength, that resilience and that attitude. I was so impressed. It’s hard not to look at Ryan in the movie and say that’s not me.”
Destiny’s performance wouldn’t have had the same impact had it not been for the emotional depth of Henry’s portrayal of Crutchfield, a former pro boxer who volunteered his time training the youth of Flint and even went as far as moving Shields into his house to shelter her from an unstable home life.
While Crutchfield is presented admirably as the unsung hero of Shields’ life story, the film doesn’t hide from re-enacting the struggles of their relationship. Crutchfield, as her de facto manager, was not only initially blamed for Shields being unable to secure sponsorships despite following her Olympic success, his inability to afford a trip to China for the 2012 AIBA World Championships, where Shields suffered her lone amateur defeat, was a central point of tension between them.
“When I watched the movie and I saw the arguments between me and Jason, I see where the disconnect was,” Shields admitted. “In my mind, I was like, ‘We could’ve gotten through that. I don’t think that was a big argument we should have had.’ But I was just a young girl with an attitude problem and he is a coach who was no-nonsense. When you have two people that are so much alike, you just keep [butting heads].”
Shields now considers Crutchfield one of the most important relationships in her life up to this point. Crutchfield remained in her corner for her first five fights as a professional, including her first world title win, until the two parted ways in 2018 when Shields hired new trainer John David Jackson.
“If he ever wanted to train me again, it would be a no-brainer. I have no problem with Jason,” Shields said. “Me and him are both just so happy this movie was made because it shows how important I was in his life, how important he was to mine and how important we both were to the city of Flint, Michigan. It shows how Jason was my coach but it also shows you how he was my dad and he was my best friend.
“He was a person who I confided in and told nothing but the truth to, even the hard truths. He taught me to always be a stand-up lady and always speak your voice. He also taught me that nobody can disrespect me and I’m taking that to the grave. Nobody can disrespect me.”
Shields, who turns 30 in March, is the pound-for-pound queen of the current renaissance period of women’s boxing, which includes future Hall-of-Fame greats like Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. She has also dabbled in mixed martial arts over the past three years, going 2-1 under the PFL banner.
As far as the future is concerned, Shields hopes to equal Serrano’s mark of titles in seven weight divisions and, on a personal level, desires to one day get married and start a family. Shields also hopes her success can continue to reframe the way people look at Flint.
But much of her remaining goals surround the impact that “The Fire Inside” can potentially have to inspire those around the globe for decades to come.
“The world is so fake right now, everything is just made up and fake. I love people that love how real I am,” Shields said. “I just feel like I’m dreaming a lot of the time because what I have done in boxing will probably never be done again. I just think that boxing changed my life and I’m happy that I can change the lives of others with this movie.
“When I die and they mention women’s boxing and they mention the greatest of all-time in women’s sports, they are always going to mention Claressa Shields. I think that’s how my name will live on forever, just like Muhammad Ali.”
