Career Timeline of Claressa Shields: Major Achievements and Milestones
From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Claressa Shields made an impact.
Claressa Shields is an accomplished American professional boxer and mixed martial artist. A multi-division world champion, she has held titles in five weight classes, including undisputed titles at light middleweight and middleweight. Shields currently holds the undisputed female heavyweight title since February 2025 and has broken records as the fastest boxer to become a two, three, four and five-division world champion. Recognized as a top female middleweight by BoxRec and the best active female boxer, pound for pound, by ESPN and The Ring, she stands as a prominent figure in combat sports.
2010: Defeated 2010 World Champion
At the 2012 Olympic Trials, Claressa Shields defeated Andrecia Wasson, the 2010 world champion.
2011: National Police Athletic League Championships
In 2011, Claressa Shields competed in her first open-division tournament, the National Police Athletic League Championships. She won the middleweight title, was named top overall fighter, and qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
2011: National PAL Championships Award
In 2011, Claressa Shields was named Most Outstanding Female Fighter at the National PAL Championships.
February 2012: U.S. Olympic Trials Winner
In February 2012, Claressa Shields won the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 165 lb middleweight division and was the youngest boxer at the event.
April 2012: Women's Elite Continental Championships Winner
In April 2012, Claressa Shields won her weight class at the Women's Elite Continental Championships in Cornwall, Ontario, defeating three-time defending world champion Mary Spencer of Canada.
October 2012: National PAL Championships Gold Medal
In October 2012, Claressa Shields competed in her second National PAL Championships, beating Franchón Crews-Dezurn in the finals to win gold at middleweight in the open division.
2012: U.S. Olympic Trials Award
In 2012, Claressa Shields was recognized as the Outstanding Boxer of the Tournament at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
2013: WBAN Top Amateur Boxer of the Year
In 2013, Claressa Shields was named WBAN Top Amateur (Youth) Elite Boxer of the Year.
2013: IBA Youth World Boxing Championships Gold
In 2013, at the IBA Youth World Boxing Championships in Bulgaria, Claressa Shields defeated polish boxer Elżbieta Wójcik to win gold in the middleweight class.
June 2014: Pan American Olympic Festival Gold Medal
In June 2014, Claressa Shields beat Yenebier Guillén in the finals of the Pan American Olympic Festival and took home gold at middleweight.
2014: WBAN Top Amateur Boxer of the Year
In 2014, Claressa Shields was named WBAN Top Amateur Boxer of the Year.
2015: Titles in Olympics and Pan American Games
In 2015, Claressa Shields became the first American to win titles in women's boxing at the Olympics and Pan American Games and served as Team USA's flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the 2015 Pan American Games.
2015: U.S. National Championships Gold
In 2015, Claressa Shields defended her gold at the U.S. National Championships by defeating Raquel Miller in the finals.
2015: USA Boxing Female Athlete of the Year
In 2015, Claressa Shields was named USA Boxing Female Athlete of the Year.
2015: T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold Documentary Subject
In 2015, Claressa Shields was the subject of the documentary T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold, which followed her pursuit of becoming the first woman to win a gold medal in Olympic boxing.
May 2016: World Championships Gold Medal
In May 2016, Claressa Shields defeated Nouchka Fontijn by unanimous decision to win gold at the World Championships.
May 2016: Outstanding Boxer at World Championships
In May 2016, Claressa Shields was awarded Outstanding Boxer at the World Championships.
August 2016: Val Barker Trophy
In August 2016, Claressa Shields was awarded the Val Barker Trophy, given to the most outstanding boxer of the Olympics.
November 2016: Professional Debut
In November 2016, Claressa Shields officially turned professional and won her first match against Franchón Crews-Dezurn by unanimous decision.
December 2016: The Ring Magazine Cover
In December 2016, Claressa Shields became the third woman (after Cathy Davis and Ronda Rousey) and the second female boxer ever to grace the cover of The Ring magazine.
2016: Slated to Act in Punch Me
In 2016, Claressa Shields was slated to act in the Susan Seidelman-directed film Punch Me.
2016: Olympic Gold Medal
In 2016, Shields won a gold medal in the women's middleweight division at the Olympics, making her the first American boxer to win consecutive Olympic medals.
2016: Universal Pictures Acquired Film Rights
In 2016, Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast, acquired the rights to produce a film about Claressa Shields' life story, holding Olympic broadcast rights in the United States.
March 10, 2017: NABF Middleweight Title Win
On March 10, 2017, Claressa Shields faced Szilvia Szabados for the North American Boxing Federation middleweight title and won by TKO. It was the first time a women's boxing bout was the main event on a United States premium network card, ShoBox.
June 16, 2017: Detroit Brawl Victory
On June 16, 2017, Claressa Shields headlined the "Detroit Brawl," facing Sydney LeBlanc in her first scheduled eight-round bout and won by decision after all eight rounds.
August 4, 2017: WBC and IBF Super-Middleweight Titles
On August 4, 2017, Claressa Shields defeated defending champ Nikki Adler at MGM Grand Detroit for the WBC super-middleweight belt and the vacant IBF super-middleweight belt by 5th Rd TKO. The fight was broadcast on Showtime.
2017: WBC and IBF Female Super Middleweight Titles
From 2017 to 2018, Claressa Shields held the World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) female super middleweight titles.
2017: USA Today Female Fighter of the Year
In 2017, Claressa Shields was named USA Today Female Fighter of the Year.
January 12, 2018: Retains WBC and IBF Female Super Middleweight Titles
On January 12, 2018, Claressa Shields retained her WBC and IBF female super middleweight titles, and won the WBAN super-middleweight title by defeating 17-0 Tori Nelson, marking her first time going all 10 rounds in her professional career.
January 2018: Boxing Gloves Enshrined
In January 2018, Claressa Shields' boxing gloves were enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
June 22, 2018: Two-Weight World Champion
On June 22, 2018, in her sixth professional fight, Claressa Shields defeated Hanna Gabriel by unanimous decision, winning the vacant WBA and inaugural IBF middleweight belts, breaking the record for becoming a two-weight world champion in the fewest professional fights.
December 8, 2018: HBO Debut
On December 8, 2018, Claressa Shields' fight aired on HBO against Femke Hermans, which was a part of the last boxing card to occur on HBO. She won by unanimous decision.
2018: WBC and IBF Female Super Middleweight Titles
From 2017 to 2018, Claressa Shields held the World Boxing Council (WBC) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) female super middleweight titles.
2018: Walmart Ad Appearance
In 2018, Claressa Shields acted in a Walmart ad directed by Dee Rees.
2018: The Ring Awards
In 2018, Claressa Shields received The Ring Female Fighter of the Year and Fight of the Year awards.
2018: Inducted into USA Boxing Alumni Association's Hall of Fame
In 2018, Claressa Shields was inducted into the USA Boxing Alumni Association's Hall of Fame.
April 13, 2019: Undisputed Middleweight Champion
On April 13, 2019, Claressa Shields became the undisputed women's middleweight world champion after defeating Christina Hammer by unanimous decision, unifying the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO middleweight titles, along with The Ring magazine's inaugural middleweight belt.
December 2019: Sporting News' Female Boxer of the Decade
In December 2019, Claressa Shields was named Sporting News' Female Boxer of the Decade.
2019: Undisputed Female Middleweight Champion
Claressa Shields held the undisputed female middleweight title twice between 2019 and 2024.
January 10, 2020: Three Division Title Win
On January 10, 2020, Claressa Shields defeated Ivana Habazin by unanimous decision and became the fastest ever to win titles in 3 divisions male or female in history. The fight featured an all-female ring.
November 2020: Signed with Professional Fighters League
In November 2020, Claressa Shields signed a three-year contract with Professional Fighters League and began training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and at JacksonWink MMA.
March 5, 2021: First Two-Weight Undisputed Champion
On March 5, 2021, Claressa Shields defeated Marie-Eve Dicaire by unanimous decision to retain her WBC and WBO super welterweight titles, claim the IBF 154-pound belt, and the vacant WBA light middleweight strap. With this win she became the first boxer in the four-belt era to hold undisputed titles in two weight classes. The fight took place in Shields' hometown.
March 2021: Undisputed Female Light Middleweight Title
In March 2021, Claressa Shields held the undisputed female light middleweight title.
March 2021: WBA Female Boxer of the Month
In March 2021, Claressa Shields was named WBA Female Boxer of the Month.
June 10, 2021: MMA Debut Victory
On June 10, 2021, Claressa Shields made her MMA debut at PFL 4 against Brittney Elkin and won the fight via technical knockout in round three.
July 12, 2021: Bout Rescheduled
On July 12, 2021, it was announced that Claressa Shields' bout, originally set for August 27, was rescheduled to August 19, 2021, to gain more exposure at an ESPN-aired PFL 8 event.
August 19, 2021: Bout Rescheduled Again
On August 19, 2021, Claressa Shields' bout was intended to occur on this date, it was previously rescheduled from August 27. However, it was eventually rescheduled again for PFL 10 on October 27, 2021.
August 27, 2021: PFL 9 event scheduled
On August 27, 2021, Claressa Shields' second bout was initially scheduled to take place at the PFL 9 event against an opponent yet to be named.
October 27, 2021: Shields Loses to Montes
On October 27, 2021, Claressa Shields faced Abigail Montes at PFL 10 and lost the bout via split decision.
2021: Expected MMA Debut
In 2021, Claressa Shields was expected to make her mixed martial arts debut.
2021: ESPN Mid-Year Awards Best Female Fighter
In 2021, Claressa Shields won the ESPN Mid-Year Awards Best Female Fighter.
February 5, 2022: Retained Middleweight Titles
On February 5, 2022, Claressa Shields defeated Ema Kozin by unanimous decision, retaining her WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring female middleweight titles, while also winning the WBF female middleweight title.
February 2022: WBA Fighter of the Month
In February 2022, Claressa Shields was named WBA Fighter of the Month.
October 2022: Ranked best female middleweight
As of October 2022, Claressa Shields is ranked the world's best active female middleweight by BoxRec, as well as the best active female boxer, pound for pound, by ESPN and The Ring.
2022: ESPN Women's Fighter of the Year
In 2022, Claressa Shields was named ESPN Women's Fighter of the Year.
2022: Sporting News Women's Boxer of the Year
In 2022, Claressa Shields was named Sporting News Women's Boxer of the Year.
2022: Christy Martin Award
In 2022, The Boxing Writers Association of America gave Claressa Shields the Christy Martin Award - Female Fighter of the Year.
August 2023: Shields Re-signs with PFL
In August 2023, Claressa Shields re-signed a multi-year contract with the Professional Fighters League to continue competing in mixed martial arts.
2023: Best Boxer ESPY Award
In 2023, Claressa Shields became the first woman to win the Best Boxer ESPY Award.
February 24, 2024: Shields Wins Against DeSantis at PFL vs. Bellator
On February 24, 2024, Claressa Shields faced Kelsey DeSantis at PFL vs. Bellator. She won the bout via split decision, despite being unable to make the agreed-upon weight, forcing her opponent to fight at 165 pounds.
July 27, 2024: Won WBC Heavyweight Title
On July 27, 2024, Claressa Shields challenged and defeated Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse for her WBC heavyweight title at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI via second-round TKO, and won the vacant WBF heavyweight and WBO light heavyweight titles also.
2024: Undisputed Female Middleweight Champion
Claressa Shields held the undisputed female middleweight title twice between 2019 and 2024.
2024: The Fire Inside Film Release
In 2024, The Fire Inside, a film about Claressa Shields' life story produced by Universal Pictures, was released, with Ryan Destiny portraying Shields.
2024: WBC Performance of the Year
In 2024, the WBC awarded Claressa Shields the Performance of the Year for her victory against Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.
February 2, 2025: Undisputed Heavyweight Championship
On February 2, 2025, Claressa Shields faced Danielle Perkins for the undisputed heavyweight championship at Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan. She won the bout by unanimous decision, becoming the only three-division undisputed champion, male or female, of the four-belt era. Following the win, Shields tested positive in competion for marijuana.
February 2025: Undisputed Female Heavyweight Title
Since February 2025, Claressa Shields has held the undisputed female heavyweight title and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) female light heavyweight title.
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