Claressa Shields Biography: Spouse, Wikipedia, Weight, Height, Net Worth, Age, Children, Siblings

Claressa Shields is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist, celebrated as the first American to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals in boxing.

She has held undisputed world titles in three weight classes, earning the title of GWOAT (Greatest Woman of All Time).

A trailblazer from Flint, Michigan, she inspires with her resilience and advocacy for gender equality in sports.

Profile

• Full Name: Claressa Maria Shields
• Stage Name: Claressa Shields
• Born: March 17, 1995
• Age: 30 years old
• Birthplace: Flint, Michigan, United States
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Professional Boxer, Mixed Martial Artist, Actress
• Height: 5 feet 8 inches (173 cm)
• Religion: Christianity
• Parents: Mr. Bo Shields and Mrs. Marcella Adams
• Siblings: Briana Shields, Artis Mack, Dusable Lewis
• Spouse: Tony Richardson
• Children: None
• Relationship: Dating
• Net Worth: $1 million to $5 million

Early Life & Education

Claressa Shields was born on March 17, 1995, in Flint, Michigan, USA. She grew up with her parents, Mr. Bo Shields, a former underground league boxer, and Mrs. Marcella Adams, who struggled with addiction.

Claressa has three siblings: Briana Shields, Artis Mack, and Dusable Lewis. She is of American nationality and of African American ethnicity.

Her religion is Christianity, which she adopted at the age of 13, finding comfort in faith during difficult times.

Raised in poverty, she faced a challenging childhood, including her father’s imprisonment from age 2 to 9 and sexual abuse starting at age 5. She often skipped meals to feed her siblings and slept on the floor without a bed.

Claressa attended Northwestern High School in Flint, Michigan, where she was an outstanding student, taking honors classes and becoming the first in her family to graduate from high school.

No details about higher education are publicly available, as her focus shifted to boxing early on.

Career

Claressa Shields began boxing at 11, training at Berston Field House. As an amateur, she won two Junior Olympic Championships and the 2011 National Police Athletic League middleweight title.

At 17, she became the first American woman to win Olympic gold in boxing at the 2012 London Games, defeating Nadezda Torlopova.

She repeated the feat in 2016 in Rio, earning gold against Nouchka Fontijn and the Val Barker Trophy, finishing her amateur career at 77-1.

She turned pro in November 2016, defeating Franchón Crews-Dezurn by unanimous decision. In 2017, she won the North American Boxing Federation middleweight title against Szilvia Szabados via TKO. That year, she also claimed the WBC and IBF super-middleweight titles against Nikki Adler.

In 2018, she beat Tori Nelson for the WBAN super-middleweight title and Hanna Gabriels for the WBA and IBF middleweight belts. In 2019, she became the undisputed middleweight champion, unifying WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO titles against Christina Hammer.

In 2020, she won the WBO junior middleweight title against Ivana Habazin, becoming the fastest boxer to win titles in three divisions. In 2021, she secured undisputed light middleweight titles against Marie-Eve Dicaire.

In 2024, she won the WBO light heavyweight and WBC/WBF heavyweight titles, and in February 2025, she became the undisputed heavyweight champion against Danielle Perkins.

She also ventured into MMA with the Professional Fighters League, debuting in 2021 with a win but losing in 2023.

With a 16-0 boxing record (3 KOs), Claressa is ranked the world’s best female boxer by ESPN and The Ring, a proud American icon.

Awards & Nominations

• 2012: Olympic Gold Medal, Women’s Middleweight
• 2016: Olympic Gold Medal, Women’s Middleweight
• 2016: Val Barker Trophy (Outstanding Boxer, Olympics)
• 2016: AMBC Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Gold
• 2017: Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Sports Award, Biggest Powerhouse
• 2018: USA Boxing Alumni Association Hall of Fame
• 2018: Boxing Writers Association of America, Christy Martin Female Fighter of the Year
• 2020, 2021: BET Award for Sportswoman of the Year (Nominee)
• 2022: Boxing Writers Association of America, Christy Martin Female Fighter of the Year
• 2023: ESPY Award, Best Boxer

Social Media

• Instagram handle: @claressashields
• Facebook: Claressa Shields

Personal Life

Claressa Shields, 30, lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and has been in a relationship with Tony Richardson since 2020.

She stands at 5 feet 8 inches and is known for her bold personality and blue braids, symbolizing her support for Flint’s water crisis.

In 2014, she tried to adopt her cousin’s daughter, Clarissa, but lost custody after eight months due to legal issues. Claressa has chosen not to have biological children, focusing on inspiring young girls through her success.

Net Worth

Claressa Shields’ net worth is estimated at $1 million to $5 million.

Her income comes from boxing purses, MMA fights, endorsements with Puma, Monster Energy, and Audi, and appearances in films like The Fire Inside.

She’s vocal about pay disparities in women’s boxing, aiming for bigger sponsorships like $20 million from Adidas or Nike. Her wealth reflects her hard work as a trailblazer.