Gift beyond boxing serves Claressa Shields well as G.W.O.A.T.
'Attention has always just kind of came to me,'' Shields told USA TODAY Sports. ' I can go and hide in the corner and people would still find a way to (approach her). People gravitate toward me and it's been that way my entire life.''
On Saturday, July 29, Shields is expected to fight in front of a sellout crowd of 19,000 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, according to Dmitriy Salita, promoter of the 11-fight card with Shields putting her undisputed heavyweight title against Lani Daniels in the main event.
It would be the biggest crowd she's fought in front of – and, according to Salita, she has become more than a boxing superstar. He said hip hop icon Rick Ross will be walking her to the ring.
'The Fire Inside,'' a movie about Shields' life and boxing career, was released in December.
'She grew up in Flint, Michigan, which is one of the most challenged places in the United States, and has now reached the pinnacle of sports and reaching the pinnacle of being a celebrity,'' Salita said. 'And I believe that women and men and folks from around communities can connect to it and get inspired by it. And she definitely talks the talk, but she walks the walk faster than she talks the talk.''
Boxing news: Boxing star Claressa Shields joins The Pivot Podcast and shares plans to start a family
Walking the walk: Shields, a two-time Olympic gold medal, has won world titles in five divisions and is 16-0 with three knockouts. In 2023, she also became the first woman to win the ESPN award for Best Boxer.
Talking the talk: That's recently included comments directed at Laila Ali.
Later this week, Shields, the star of Salita Promotions, recently addressed whether they might one day be rivals with Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), co-founded by Jake Paul. MVP partnered with Netflix on an all-women's card held in front of sellout crowd of 19,729 on July 11 at Madison Square Garden.
'Hey, they got all those good girls on the roster,'' Shields said of MVP, 'but they don't have the greatest and that's a problem for them.''
Of course, Shields was referring to herself, the self-described G.W.O.A.T. (Greatest Woman Of All-Time).
'I wish them well, but at the end of the day, I've always been a one-woman army and looks like I'm winning the war so far.''
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Claressa Shields reveals gift beyond boxing prior to fight
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