Two Olympic gold medals aren't enough for Flint native Claressa Shields. It's clear she wants to dominate absolutely everything in her sport.
"Her goal -- make no bones about it -- is to not only eliminate gender labels but simply be boxing’s number one, pound for pound, best someday," said boxing broadcaster Mark Taffet.
"I'm the favorite because of my skills and my accolades, not because I already have a belt. There’s no homecourt advantage," said Shields of her fight against Szilvia Szabados.
It's fitting that the pre-fight press conference took place on International Women's Day. Shields has blazed a trail for female athletes in her sport and on Friday, she will become the first female boxer to headline a primetime event. The significance isn't lost on her.
"I’m glad that ShoBox (Showtime Boxing) chose me to be the woman and be the main event," said Shields.
Shields wasn't shy about how she thinks Friday's fight will go, telling Szabados, "I'm not going to let you beat me in front of my family."
The ShoBox event starts Friday at 10pm at MGM Grand in Detroit.
