Claressa Shields is, without a doubt, the best women’s boxer in the world. The two-time Olympic gold medalist was the first undisputed champion in two different divisions — light middleweight and middleweight — in an era with four belts to win. At 14-0 as a professional and atop all pound-for-pound lists, she can continue doing what she’s doing and cruise into the Boxing Hall of Fame.
But that’s simply not Shields’ style.
She’s always wanted more, from the time she was growing up in Flint, Mich. One medal podium wasn’t good enough, she needed a second. One pro division wasn’t good enough, she needed more belts. One sport wasn’t good enough — she decided to join the Professional Fighters League to compete in mixed martial arts with the hopes of becoming the greatest women’s combat fighter of all time, and in hopes of bigger paydays in an industry where the gaps between men and women are often stark.
On Saturday, she’ll make an even bigger mark in combat sports by fighting Kelsey DeSantis, when they’ll become the first women to fight on a professional mixed martial arts card in Saudi Arabia, according to the PFL.
“It’s going to inspire the women there. It’s going to inspire their culture and their country,” said Shields, who will fight on the…
