Claressa Shields Vows to Go down as Beyonce and Serena Williams of Boxing History

“My goal is to go down as the best women’s fighter in history.” Claressa Shields‘ July 2016 statement ahead of the Rio Olympics is better suited to be a prediction instead. Not only did she pick up her second straight Olympic gold (after 2012 in London) a month after the interview, but she also clinched her second World Championships that same year, in May. And since then, the boxer has been on an upward graph others can only dream of. But, like every true champion, she is far from done. Or at least that’s what she reminds herself every day.

For now, one of Shields’ goal is to reach the levels of other decorated female figures. And who better to set a standard than 23-time Grand Slam winner and unarguably one of the greatest female tennis players, Serena Williams, and 32-time Grammy Award winner and pop culture icon, Beyonce?

Claressa Shields has a steep mountain to climb

Calling herself the GWOAT (Greatest Woman of All Time), the Michigan born boxer proclaimed, “I want to go down in history as the ‘Beyonce of Boxing’, the Serena Williams of Boxing’,” during a workout session at the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit. But to reach that goal, there’s another milestone the 29-year-old will need to reach, which she is very much well aware of.

Moving up two weight classes, the Flint, Michigan native will be challenging reigning WBC Women’s Heavyweight World Champion Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse to clinch a world title in a fourth division. The fight will take place at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on July 27. While Shields is brimming with confidence, her 28-year-old opponent isn’t one to back down either. “It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s Claressa or someone else. My life is all about challenges. I’ve always faced them head-on, and I intend to keep it that way,” the Quebec, Canada-native assured.

Joanisse even threw a sharp dig at the Olympic gold medalist, on Instagram, writing, “We’ll be coming home with the belts. And not just the belts – with all due respect – with popularity and Claressa fans too”, to which Shields retorted back, “Imma show you why you shouldn’t step to the big dawgs”. If we go by stats, T-Rex has a 14-0 record (2 knockout wins) while her opponent holds a 7-1 with two KOs.

Shields’ win will pave her path to becoming an undisputed figure in boxing. Moreover, the feat will most definitely put her closer to her idols and perhaps give her a chance to relay her heartfelt admiration to the Run the World (Girls) singer in person. As for Serena Williams, we aren’t sure if she’d like to meet the former World No. 1 Tennis player ever again.

Shields made a disappointing discovery about Serena Williams

Claressa Shields realized why the saying ‘Never meet your heroes’ stands true. Tennis legend Serena Williams has been a messiah for millions of people around the globe. Similarly, even the two-time Olympic gold medalist held great admiration for Williams. But that was until she met her idol during the 2016 Rio Olympics. 

Talking about the chance encounter with the Detroit Press, Shields’ revealed Williams’ seemingly unfriendly nature: “I was able to meet Serena at the 2016 Olympics. She was just not nice. For me to look up to her like I did when I was a kid and then meet her in person and see how she’s not fan-friendly, (that was upsetting).”

“She was kind of mean to a lot of people at the Olympics and just kind of made me not want to be like her. Because I’m different. I’m a fan of her being a great athlete, just not a fan of her as a person if that makes sense?” the mixed martial artist further said.

Well, it’s a good thing Claressa Shields has been able to differentiate between her personal and professional opinions. Hopefully, July 27 will reinstate her as the GWOAT. What do you think? Let us know your predictions in the comments below!