ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Claressa Shields has a million-dollar smile but a bank account worth far less, even though she’s arguably the best women’s boxer of all-time.
She has won two Olympic gold medals, world titles in three weight classes and, with a pro record of 11-0, is the undisputed junior middleweight champion and unified middleweight champion. Yet Shields, 26, said she has never been paid more than $350,000 for a fight — a pittance compared to what the top men’s boxers command.
“Where is my $1 million at?’’ Shields said during an interview with USA TODAY Sports. “Where is my big mansion and my nice cars at? Guys who haven’t done as much as me have more than me, and I had two Olympic gold medals even before I turned professional. They have zero.
“So it’s like, I could be a 20-time world champ in boxing and I would still be in the same position.’’
So she traveled here.
In pursuit of the paydays that have eluded her, Shields has been preparing for her mixed martial arts (MMA) debut on Thursday. ESPN will televise the bout, which was arranged by the Professional Fighters League (PFL) and will take place in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Training at Jackson Wink Academy, home to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former UFC champions Holly Holm and Georges St-Pierre, Shields has gotten some of the best MMA instruction available. Along with a taste of MMA brutality.
During a recent workout inside an Octagon cage, Shields got kicked in the head by…
