Is Claressa Shields the greatest female fighter of all time? If you ask her, she will probably answer in the affirmative. And her records do build a strong case regarding her taking all the plaudits. She has taken boxing by storm and left an indelible mark. And she still has years to go. But, would she be happy to only be considered the greatest in boxing? According to her, her name should be among the top female athletes in the current generation. Anything less is unacceptable.

Shields, 29, is undoubtedly one of the greatest American boxers who has shattered many records and continues to do so. She made a statement in the boxing world at 17, winning the 2012 Olympic gold. Unlike most other boxers, she went back and racked up another Olympic gold four years later in Rio. Now she is a 5 division champion and an undisputed champion in two weight classes, a feat achieved by very few.

Given her resume, is her frustration with ESPN unwarranted when they failed to include her in a list of trailblazing female athletes alongside Simone Biles and Serena Williams? Shields didn’t hold back her disappointment while hitting out at the sports media organization. “Wow @espn Y’all have really lost yall mind!!!!! Do I have to run my resume down to y’all!!! 2x Olympic champ 3x Undisputed champ 5 weight world champion 15x world champ WOMENS BOXING TRAIL BLAZER,” Shields tweeted.

Claressa Shields became a five-weight world champion by defeating Canadian Heavyweight Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in July, picking up the vacant WBO world light-heavyweight title, and snatching the WBC world heavyweight title in the process. This is especially astounding when you realize she is a natural middleweight who went up to Heavyweight. And she won the fight via a second-round technical knockout. This is just her latest achievement.

It is remarkable how much she has achieved at just 29 years old. The win puts her in the company of the legend Roy Jones Jr. Shields and Roy Jones Jr are the only two boxers in over 100 years to win world titles at both middleweight and heavyweight. Previously, she claimed championships in the light-middleweight, middleweight, and super-middleweight divisions. Simply put, no woman in boxing today has matched her record of success.

Yet, despite her unprecedented achievements, ESPN’s list of trailblazers excluded her. So, who made the cut?

A Closer Look at ESPN’s List

The athletes included in ESPN’s list were Serena Williams, Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, and Caitlyn Clark. Topping the list was the legendary retired tennis player, Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam titles, the second-most in tennis history by any player (man/woman). Closely following her was Olympian Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history. She has won 11 Olympic medals, seven of which are gold. The feat makes her the second-most woman to have that Olympic medal tally.

Third on the list was Katie Ledecky, the American swimmer, who has won nine gold medals, the most by any female swimmer. And fourth on the list was of course, Caitlin Clark, the basketball prodigy lighting up the WNBA, who is single-handedly responsible for popularizing women’s basketball in the US, a phenomenon now famously called the “Caitlin Clark effect.” While these athletes have undoubtedly earned their places on the list, Claressa Shields’ accomplishments in the boxing world stack up well against their achievements. So, why the exclusion?

Could it be that Shields’ Olympic medal count doesn’t match that of some of the other athletes? Or is women’s boxing simply overlooked in the US? Regardless, with her unparalleled success, Claressa Shields’ name certainly belongs in the conversation for trailblazing female athletes.

Do you think Claressa Shields should have been included in ESPN’s list of trailblazing athletes? Let us know in the comments below.