Two-time Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields is in a league of her own. The Flint native and women's boxing phenom is undefeated with titles in five different weight divisions.

Shields' rise has not been without obstacles. She has fought her way out of poverty but lost loved ones along the way.

Her Story

If you’re a fan of sports movies, it’s impossible not to be familiar with the story of Claressa Shields. The new movie The Fire Inside, starring Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry, is a cinematic rendering of her life.

Shields, who grew up in Flint, Michigan, surrounded by family trauma and unfathomable poverty, began boxing as a means to break out of her situation. The ring was the place where she could feel empowered and validated, even as her father served time in prison on a breaking-and-entering conviction.

At 17, she qualified for the 2012 Olympics in the middleweight division, making her the first American (female or male) boxer to win gold medals in back-to-back Olympic Games. Afterward, she turned professional and has never lost a fight. Despite all that, her career hasn’t been easy. The movie unflinchingly depicts some of the most painful aspects of her life, including sexual assault as a child and her mother’s struggle with alcohol addiction.

Her Career

Claressa Shields has been one of the top female fighters in professional boxing for more than a decade. She has earned a number of significant paydays in the sport and is expected to continue to increase her earnings as women’s boxing becomes more mainstream.

In her most recent fight, she defeated Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse and added the WBC and WBF world heavyweight titles to her collection. The fight took place in Flint, Michigan and the rumored purse was $1.5 million. This doesn’t include pay-per-view points and other perks that fighters earn.

In addition to her fighting career, the undefeated champion has become a public figure and activist for gender equality and women in sports. She has been a vocal advocate against domestic violence and a strong proponent of women’s rights, earning her massive popularity outside the ring. She has also starred in a documentary and signed a multiyear deal with the Professional Fighters League to pursue her MMA career.

Her Fights

Director Rachel Morrison wanted to show the more emotional side of Shields. She said she wanted the viewer to see her struggle as an athlete, especially after winning gold and coming back to a town that doesn't know what to do with her.

The film also shows how her unapologetic femininity alienates some sponsors, especially when men she competes with receive multimillion-dollar endorsement deals. Morrison and Destiny worked with the same boxing coach who had trained the actors in "Creed" to make sure they understood the sport's mechanics and how fighters think.

The fight scenes are real, and Destiny says she felt "a little weird" directing them. But she said the training she received helped her understand what it was like to be hit, and she thought all the fights looked accurate. She credited the COVID-19 pandemic for making that possible. It also allowed them to reshoot a few of the fights that were originally filmed during the pandemic and use the original footage.

Her Future

Claressa Shields is not only fighting for women’s equality in the ring but also outside it. In a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast, the unbeaten champion shared that she and her partner, rapper Papoose, are planning to start a family next year.

The three-division world champion has been with Salita Promotions since the beginning of her professional career, but she’s eager to explore her options. She believes that she hasn’t been paid her true value for the work that she does.

One option that she’s considering is Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions, which has become the home of women’s boxing. The company recently staged the mega Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano trilogy bout that was watched by six million people on Netflix. They also represent the unified super middleweight champion Shadasia Green, who defeated Savannah Marshall on the Taylor vs. Serrano 3 undercard. A fight between Shields and Green makes a lot of sense.