Claressa Shields Adds Pan Am Gold to Her Medal Collection – Breaking Amateur Boxing News
By Chris “Man of Few Words” Benedict
Claressa Shields maintains that she doesn’t live in the past. When you stop to ponder her childhood, one can hardly blame her. But when you consider her having added a gold medal at the Pan Am Games in Toronto last night to those already worn around her neck, won at the 2012 London Olympics and last year’s World Championships in South Korea, you wouldn’t hold it against her for wanting to gloat.
For a twenty year-old boxer known as T-Rex, Claressa is something of an anachronism. Proud but not boastful, no trace of narcissism in her self-confidence, equalizing her future expectations by planting both feet firmly in the present moment.
Now 60-1, Claressa put in a solid performance against Yenebier Guillen Benitez of the Dominican Republic in last night’s middleweight Pan Am finals, comfortably fighting off the ropes, exhibiting smart defense, and splitting her opponent’s guard almost at will with an aggressive flurry of combinations as Benitez opted instead to pick her shots and rely on infrequent and ineffective power punches. Even a third-round point deduction (simply for ducking, Claressa laughed afterwards) could not threaten a unanimous decision. Shutout victories over Brazil’s Flavia Tereza Figueiredo and Argentina’s Lucia Perez of Argentina earlier in the week paved the way to Shields’ gold medal win.
“That one loss lingered with me,” Claressa said of her lone defeat which came against Savannah Marshall of England in the second round of the 2012 World Championships in Qinhuangdao, China, the prelude to the Summer Olympic Games in London, the first that would feature female boxing. She copped a spot on the U.S. squad nonetheless and proved her worth by outpointing Nadezda Torlopova of Russia 19-12 in the gold medal middleweight fight.
Hopeful of stepping back in the ring with Savannah “The Silent Assassin” Marshall and avenging her sole loss, Claressa was left wanting in that respect. Marshall was defeated in her opening match at the London games by Marina Volnova of Kazakhstan, abruptly removing her from medal contention. She was also sent home early from the 2014 World Championships courtesy of the Russian sensation Iaroslava Iakushina. After knocking out Hellen Baleke of Uganda in 11 seconds, Claressa bested Iakushina in the quarter-finals before snatching the gold from China’s Li Quan. “It meant a lot to me to me to be able to win it,” T-Rex said of her bittersweet accomplishment. “Yeah, it would have been best if I could have defeated Marshall, but I was able to beat up the girl who beat up her.”
Claressa did not begin to speak until she was 5 and only then with an embarrassingly pronounced stutter. She learned to box at the age of 11 in her tough hometown of Flint, Michigan at the urging of her father after his release from prison. During his absence, her drug-addicted mother allowed into the family home a succession of degenerate companions, three of whom molested Claressa repeatedly.
Her grandmother, who called Claressa “Coco”, took Shields into her home and “Coco” in turn took her grandmother into her confidence about the previously unspeakable sexual torment, building the foundation of a beautiful relationship. If she has successfully compartmentalized the Marshall loss, a much more personal regret for Claressa is that her dear grandmother died in 2010 and got to witness none of her medal-winning exploits.
Claressa was one of two distinguished women, the other being Heather “The Heat” Hardy, to attend the International Boxing Hall of Fame induction weekend festivities last month, both most welcome additions. When I asked what she had in store for the immediate future, Shields replied that her plan consisted of winning gold at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and then going pro.
Claressa’s ultimate goal? “To be the best female fighter alive.” No pressure there. At least it is self-applied and she seems up to the challenge. But, as she already well knows, first thing’s first…
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