Claressa Shields

Bio:
Claressa Shields (born March 17, 1995 in Flint, Michigan) is an American boxer. Introduced to boxing by her father, Claressa was inspired by Laila Ali and pursued the sport as 11 years old. She began boxing at Berston Field House where she met her coach, Jason Crutchfield. Claressa won two Junior Olympic championships and competed in her first open-division tournament in fall 2011, where she won the middleweight title. At the Olympic trials, she defeated reigning national champion, Franchon Crews and the 2010 world champion, Andrecia Wasson. Claressa qualified for the 2012 Olympics and won a gold medal after beating Russian boxer Nadezda Torlopova. In 2014, Claressa won the World Championships. She became the first American to win titles in women’s boxing at the Olympics and Pan American games in 2015. Claressa will be competing at the 2016 Rio Olympics after winning gold in the qualifiers.

Best Known For:
Claressa is best known for her success as a boxer and for being the first U.S. woman to win a boxing gold medal at the London Olympics.

Personal Life:
In 2014, Claressa adopted her cousin’s daughter.