Claressa Shields, the GWOAT, vows to show Detroit what '$8M looks like'

Tony Paul, The Detroit News on Jan 7, 2026

Published in Boxing

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DETROIT — Claressa Shields is in the prime of her historic boxing career, the GWOAT still going as strong as ever — and she's still undefeated as a professional.

She wasn't undefeated as an amateur. She was 77-1. At least, according to the record books.

"My amateur career, you might as well say I was undefeated. I did not lose to her," Shields said recently, speaking of the 2012 loss to England's Savannah Marshall. "It is what it is."

Shields, who began boxing in Flint at the age of 11 and now is 30, was honored for her amateur career last month, when she was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame during a gala at MotorCity Casino Hotel. It was a star-studded class that included the likes of Rasheed Wallace and Chris Chelios, but it was Shields that turned heads when she walked through the doors, followed by an entourage that included a film crew and rapper boyfriend Papoose. The two posed for photos on the red carpet.

Then, Shields spoke with reporters, including The Detroit News, about the honor, which was no small thing. She was the first boxer inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame since Thomas "Hitman" Hearns in 1997.

"I can't believe I'm a Hall of Famer, and I'm still an active champion," Shields said. "It's kind of weird."

Shields' boxing accomplishments have been well told. She won two gold medals in the Olympics, and as a professional, if there's a belt, she's probably won it. She's won at least 18 championship belts, and now is heavyweight boxing's undisputed champion.

Shields is 17-0 as a professional, and her next fight will be Feb. 22 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, where she'll meet Franchon Crews-Dezurn. It's a rematch of their first professional fight, when Shields won by a unanimous decision in 2016. It's one of just two losses for Crews-Dezurn as a professional.

"It's our second time fighting each other," Shields said. "I know she wants to get her getback. ... She wants to beat me more than anybody. So I look forward to fighting her. It's going to be a fighter's fight.

"It'll be a 10-round fight with all the belts on the line and look forward to showing what I can do.

"And showing what 8 million dollars looks like."

Ah, yes. The $8 million. This is Shields' first fight since she signed the landmark $8 million contract in November.

The contract covers multiple fights.

"It's amazing. God's timing is the best timing," Shields said. "I'm so happy that God didn't give me a million dollars when I was 17. I'd be broke as a joke. It ain't funny.

"There's just so much more to come. Thanks for the $8 million. I'm just ready to continue fighting and seeing what the future holds for me."

This will be Shields' eighth fight in Detroit, with the last three coming at Little Caesars Arena. That includes her last fight, a unanimous-decision win over Lani Daniels in July that drew more than 15,000 spectators. Shields long has outgrown her early Detroit venues, including MGM Grand Detroit and the Masonic Temple.

She still likes to fight in her hometown of Flint, as she did in early in 2025, beating Danielle Perkins by unanimous decision at the Dort Financial Center. She remains proud of her roots, and her city remains proud of her.

"You've been such a light for this city, you've been such a light for the boxing world," Morris Peterson, a former Michigan State basketball star, 2019 Michigan Sports Hall of Fame inductee and fellow Flint Northwestern graduate, said in a video message to Shields upon her induction.

"You're making us proud. ... And the best is yet to come."

Detroit used to be one of the centers of the boxing universe, as the adopted hometown of Joe Louis, and the home of Kronk Gym. The city is seeing a big-time renaissance on that front, with Kronk Gym reopening.

Shields is thrilled to be a part of Detroit's boxing scene. Flint's still home, but Detroit's not far off.

"Detroit is like a big part of Michigan. It has one of the biggest populations. They always come out and support me, and it's in the middle of everything," Shields said, noting that fighting in Detroit makes it easy for boxing fans from Chicago or New York or even Atlanta to get there and be in her corner. "Detroit is like a fun, exciting sports hub, and I'm so excited to be fighting in Detroit, to represent Detroit, to represent Michigan.

"I mean, Flint and Detroit are two different places, but we're only 45 minutes apart. I'm always happy to just keep bringing everybody together, and just keep representing."

And, oh, just keep winning. She's never lost. Just ask her.