Claressa Shields: ‘I’m not here for people to cry and feel sorry for me’

3 days ago 3

Claressa Shields was two months removed from defending her Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games when an email from Hollywood landed in her inbox. Universal Studios wanted to make a movie about her life story. For Shields, who had spent much of her career fighting for recognition in a sport that marginalized women when they weren’t ignoring them entirely, the offer felt like more than just a career milestone. It was a rare mainstream acknowledgment of her achievements and a chance to amplify to a wider audience the struggles she had endured in and out of the ring.

“I never checked my emails back then,” Shields says with a laugh. “But I saw the subject line, and it said something about a movie. I thought, ‘A movie about my life? OK, let’s see what they’re talking about.’” That email kicked off a series of phone calls and meetings with the Oscar-winning screenwriter Barry Jenkins and other industry heavyweights. “We negotiated for a year. I was only 20, so I made sure I had a lawyer,” she recalls. “I wasn’t going to just sign anything. But once the contract was finalized, the ball started rolling.”

That ball has now become a feature film, The Fire Inside, which opens in the US on Christmas Day. Helmed by the first-time director Rachel Morrison with Ryan Destiny in the leading role, the movie chronicles Shields’s rise from an impoverished childhood in Flint, Michigan, to becoming the most decorated female boxer in history. Shields describes the experience of working with Jenkins as pivotal to ensuring her story was told authentically. “We had a four-hour conversation about my life,” she says of the initial phone call that courted her approval. “I told him, ‘Listen, this isn’t a sad story. I’m not here for people to cry and feel sorry for me. I’m a winner. I’m a conqueror.’”

Not unlike Million Dollar Baby – another female-led boxing drama which swept through awards season exactly 20 years ago – The Fire Inside distinguishes itself from the standard fare by working within and subverting the conventions of a well-worn genre. The crowning achievement of Shields’s career gives way to a devastating final act that highlights the challenges she faced in gaining recognition and endorsements. There’s no money at the end of the rainbow, leading to friction with her longtime trainer (an outstanding Brian Tyree Henry). While Shields is not the first Olympian to discover that a gold medal is hardly an overnight ticket to fame and fortune – the first 15 minutes of Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher nailed the quiet banality of this comedown brilliantly – her story puts a fine point on the specific challenges facing Black women athletes who don’t fit in to corporate approved conceptions of femininity.

“I had no idea you had to be a certain way to get endorsements,” the 29-year-old says. “All I cared about was winning the gold medal, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. But it was tough to realize that being myself wasn’t enough for some people.”

Hardcore boxing fans have been familiar with Shields’s extraordinary backstory for years. By the age of 17, she had already secured her first Olympic gold medal. By 22, she’d become the only American boxer to win a second. But her rise was not without struggles. Shields faced financial hardship, gender-based discrimination and the emotional toll of growing up in a tumultuous household, and the film doesn’t shy away from those darker chapters. In one particularly heart-wrenching scene, a young Claressa scours her family’s kitchen for food, finding none. Shields admits it was tough to watch on the big screen. “When I see the younger me going through that, it’s triggering,” she says. “But it’s also a reminder of how far I’ve come.”

One of the film’s most powerful moments revolves around Shields’s decision to speak openly about surviving sexual abuse. Jenkins approached her with sensitivity, asking if she felt comfortable including this part of her story. “I said, ‘Absolutely,’” Shields says. “I think me speaking on that helps other women who’ve been through it. It’s about showing resilience, not dwelling in sadness.”

Shields credits Destiny’s portrayal of her as transformative and true to life. Though the 29-year-old actor is best known for lighter projects, including a lead role on the Fox music drama Star for three seasons, Shields trusted her to capture her essence. “Ryan was training hard,” she says. “She’d call me saying she was taking protein and her body was changing and she was sore and all this other stuff from training, I’d just tell her, ‘Take a hot bath, get a massage and recover.’”

The film doesn’t shy away from the toll Shields’s career has taken on her, both physically and emotionally. Scenes of intense training, grueling fights and moments of self-doubt reveal a fuller, unvarnished picture of the woman behind the gloves. Shields hopes these elements resonate with audiences. “Boxing is tough, but so is life,” she says. “I want people to see that even when you’re knocked down, you can get back up and keep fighting.”

Nor does it dodge her complicated relationship with her mother during her teenage years. Shields describes it as strained at the time but notes it has since improved. “Ryan asked me about that part of my life, and I told her the truth: it wasn’t great when I was younger,” Shields says. “But now, things are much better. It’s an important part of my story because it shows growth, not just in my career but in my personal life.”

Throughout an eight-year gestation period which saw the project offloaded to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer amid a series of Covid-related delays and casting changes, Shields continued to focus on her professional boxing career, eventually capturing world championships across five different weight classes from light middleweight to heavyweight. Her journey reflects her unwavering determination – a theme central to the film. “Hard times don’t last forever, but tough people do,” Shields says. “I want people to leave the theater feeling inspired, knowing it’s OK to be yourself and to believe in what you’re doing, no matter how long it takes.”

The fire inside Shields – the same drive that propelled her from Flint’s streets to global fame – is also lighting the way for women’s boxing. She has been a vocal advocate for equal pay and increased visibility, noting significant progress since her professional debut in 2016. “Back then, I wasn’t even fighting on TV,” she says. “Now I’m headlining events, making million-dollar paydays, and inspiring the next generation.”

Her upcoming title defense in February against the heavyweight contender Danielle Perkins, smack in the middle of awards season, will mark a triumphant return to her hometown of Flint. “She’s tall, strong and skilled,” Shields says of her opponent. “But I’m ready. This is my homecoming, and I’m going to put on a show.”

As for her thoughts on influencer boxing – a topic of much debate in the sport – Shields takes a pragmatic tack. “It’s a net positive,” she says. “People like Jake Paul are putting dollars behind women’s boxing and getting more eyes on the sport. That’s a win.” While she acknowledges that the influencer scene invites its share of controversy by platforming novice boxers above fighters who have devoted their entire lives to the sport, she emphasizes the importance of visibility and investment in women’s boxing. “At the end of the day, more people are watching us. That’s what matters.”

In reflecting on her journey, Shields sees the struggles depicted on screen as a necessary part of her growth. “Looking back, I’m glad everything happened when it did,” she says. “I was young, and if I had a million dollars at 17, I wouldn’t have known what to do with it. Now, I’m more mature and better equipped to handle success.”

For Shields, The Fire Inside isn’t just a boxing movie – it’s a universal story about resilience, perseverance and self-belief. “If I went through all that and didn’t quit, you have no excuse,” she says. “This film isn’t just my story – it’s a message to everyone that you can overcome anything.”

Her hope is that audiences leave the theater feeling inspired. “I want people to feel encouraged, to know it’s okay to be themselves,” Shields says. “It might take longer to achieve your dreams, but staying true to yourself is worth it. Don’t let the world force you to change.”

As she looks ahead to her next fight and the release of the film, Shields remains focused on her mission to uplift others. “The Fire Inside is for everyone,” she says. “It’s about lighting that spark in yourself and pushing through, no matter what.”