Shields won Gold Medals at both the London Games and Rio Games before turning pro late in '16GETTY IMAGES
Women’s boxing has "yet to catch on with the American public the way that women’s mixed martial arts" has, but Claressa Shields aims to change that, as she "wants to be a transformative figure in her sport and is taking great risks to do so," according to Kevin Iole of YAHOO SPORTS. Shields, who will face Christina Hammer on Saturday for the middleweight title, won Gold Medals at both the '12 London Games and '16 Rio Games. When she turned pro in November '16, Shields "immediately vowed to be a difference-maker, and eschewed the long, slow build so loved by boxing promoters in favor of an aggressive, challenging approach almost out of the chute." She has a "no-nonsense personality and isn’t afraid to tackle any issue head-on." Shields had the two highest-rated ShoBox broadcasts on Showtime in '18 and "by a large margin over the third-place card." The question is "whether Shields can drag a sport that television executives have long turned their noses up at and which American fans have largely ignored to even the position that women have achieved in MMA," where there is "more or less parity in terms of media coverage and fan interest with the men’s game." Mark Taffet, Sheilds' manager, believes she has a "chance to become the superstar who can help lift women’s boxing to prominence." Boxing, "not just women’s boxing, needs stars." If Shields "lives up to the hype and comes through with an impressive performance, it will help boost the entire sport" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/8).
