Claressa Shields is on the road for arguably the biggest fight in her career on Sept.10 against Savanah Marshall, but plenty is happening in her life.
Claressa Shields is known as boxingās āGWOATā and started her MMA takeover, but combat sports is only one part of Shieldsās life. Her personal life is the other, and she likes to keep them separate.
During the height of the pandemic two years ago, Shieldsā personal life changed for the better in a meteoric way. Love found her when she least expected it.
The pandemic kept Shields out of the ring, and staying active became challenging. Itās something that most people in the world can relate to.
Most public places were closed, including gyms. Boxing bouts were hard to come by, and Shields was out of the ring for a time. She still founds ways to train, but it wasnāt the same.
As isolation set in, Shields found herself out of shape by her standards.
āI was just kind of like worried about my fitness because I had gained quarantine weight like everybody else,ā Shields said to FanSided.Ā āI was almost 200 pounds. So it was like, hey, we canāt get to the three digits, you know, to the 200s. So I just started going to the gym. It was a black-owned gym. A lot was going on with the Black Lives Matter and everything. So I wanted to go to a black-owned gym. And thatās where I went to him. Heās the owner there.ā
When gyms started to open, Shields made her way to a new spot, At Fitness Gym, where she met him, owner Tony Richardson.
Watch Claressa Shields vs. Savannah Marshall for the undisputed middleweight title on Saturday, Sept. 10, on ESPN+
Richardson helped Shields with her fitness at the gym, but Shields was so focused on putting in work that she didnāt realize the chemistry she had with Richardson at first.
āBut we didnāt really, like, I wasnāt thinking about him at the gym,ā Shields said, āLike when I go to the gym, I train. I work out.ā
Shields stayed concentrated on her career at the gym but let her hair down when she went out to the club with a group of friends from the gym, including Richardson. There, she started to see Richardson in a different light.
āAfter a month, I think the whole like At Fitness crew, we all went out to this club,ā Shields recalled. āAnd we were all just like, I kicked everybody a** in pool because I played pool real good. And we were on a team. And thatās when we discovered like that it was like a connection or something there, but we were friends at first.ā
Not many people discover the beginnings of love during a pool game, but love usually strikes when we least expect it. Shields and Richardson became an official item on July 24, 2020.
https://twitter.com/Claressashields/status/1551206997319729153?s=20&t=rJHkh_eqZZVc14z8Sj7_Vg
Shields and Richardson recently celebrated their two-year dating anniversary, but sheās proud to call him her fiancĆ© today.
Richardson still works out with Shields from time to time, but Shields likes to keep her professional and love lives separate to a degree.
āHe does give me workouts, and he knows the body pretty well,ā Shields said. āAnd gives me workouts and stuff, so we can kind of like, mingle there, but itās really like, we try to keep it separate, but it kind of just go together.ā
Shields told FanSided that she and Richardson are looking to wed sometime at the beginning of 2024, but boxing is her immediate priority, specifically Savannah Marshall.
They clash on Saturday, Sep. 10, at the O2 Arena, in London, England. Marshall enjoys the home country advantage being from Hartlepool, England, but Shields doesnāt seem too concerned about that.
Shields believes that she doesnāt need to worry about falling victim to a hometown decision because sheās convinced Marshall isnāt going to see the final bell.
āIām going to catch her because she has too many flaws,ā Shields said. āAnd she doesnāt respect my power. So when you donāt respect somebodyās power, you donāt really be paying attention. But she does a lot in her game that is going to cause her to get hit and get hit with a big shot. So this fight weāre already kind of clicked on to this fight isnāt going 10 rounds. Itās going to be a knockout.ā
As for plans after the Marshall fight, Shields anticipates refocusing on MMA. Shields is signed to the PFL and is 1-1 as a budding MMA fighter, but expect to see her in the cage before the end of 2022.
āYeah, Iām doing a PFL tournament next year. Well, the PFL season,ā Shields said. āI have an MMA fight at the end of the year. Thatās why this fight being in September, was really a no go for me because I want to spend that time getting ready for my MMA fight by the end of the year.ā
Shields has a clear plan of where she wants to be as a combat sports athlete, but having love and support from Richardson can only help. Life is a balancing act for everyone, but Shields seems to have it all figured out as she continues to make history in the boxing ring and MMA cage.