Top 40 Claressa Shields Quotes

The only thing that me and Muhammad Ali have in common is that we are both Olympic gold medalists and both very outspoken.

Balancing around the holidays is something I’ve been doing for years. I saved a lot of money by not going home for Christmas, that’s for sure. But I still spoke with all my family and connected with everyone.

I was angry because I see other kids with things that I wanted: they had good parents, they had clothes, they always had food and extra money, and I wasn’t one of those kids.

The first punch I learned was the jab. Second, the cross punch; third, the hook – after that, all the combinations and how to move my head and feet. It took me just two months to be ready to get in the ring!

There’s not a woman in this world that can beat me if we put on a pair of gloves and we fight. I’ve accomplished so much.

I always tell my story because I want others who have felt broken to know they can make it.

Coming back to Flint and seeing my family keeps me humble. Even though I’ve been on a worldwide stage, I can still communicate with them on a hood level, if that’s what you want to call it.

You got to adjust to how your life is.

I tell all kids and the girls growing up that you control your own life, you control your destiny – not where you’re born, not who your parents are.

If I wanted to curse you out, I would write everything I wanted to say to you in my diary, and it was like screaming in my head. After that, I would have no feelings for you; I wouldn’t be mad at you or upset because I already said it to you when I wrote it down. That’s what writing did for me.

I consider my diet more of a life plan in general, and I have my days where I’ll splurge, but I stay disciplined.

I felt abandoned at a young age. That’s where most of my anger came from, I guess.

Fighting in Flint in front of all my fans has been a dream of mine since turning pro. Having the opportunity to make history by fighting for the undisputed title in a second weight division is something I’m very proud of.

From my first fight, I loved being in the ring. I tune everything out – the lights, the smells, the noise – so I’m in this zone where I’m performing only for myself.

I trained my whole life for the Olympics. I didn’t have a childhood, I really couldn’t go to the beach with my friends. Couldn’t go to parties. Just training, training, training.

My coach never looked at me as a female fighter, but just as a fighter, as someone he was training. I had to work just as hard as the guys, or harder than them.

At the Olympics, for those eight minutes of each fight, all that attention was on me. Either the crowd is with you or against you.

When I was 16, coming up through now at 24, it was so much I thought I had to change about myself. Especially after I won the Olympics.

Can’t nobody else get in there and help you. Your coach, he can’t get in the ring and fight with you. You don’t have your dad, your mom. When you get in the ring, you don’t have anybody but yourself.

I have a healthy respect. The fact that I get ready for each opponent shows my respect.

My life is way bigger than boxing or acting or being rich or being famous or endorsements.

Kids in Flint don’t even know that you can write to express your feelings and go to the gym and work out, you can run, you can do whatever you love to help relieve stress.

I’m carrying the sport of women’s boxing and I am the best woman fighter and that’s my role.

Living in Flint, poverty is an obstacle that you have to fight through. I always had to fend for my brother and sister – I was always the one to sacrifice my meals so that they could eat.

Laila Ali is not my definition of the best.

I got the nickname T-Rex when I was 11 years old. Back when I was younger, I was very skinny and I had short arms, but I used to always be swinging.

Being a woman fighter, I can’t just go out there and manhandle a girl, I need to be very strategic: Use my skills, head movement and defence, then seek and destroy.

I still really haven’t sat down and said ‘yeah, I’m ranked No. 1 in the world and I’m an Olympic Gold Medalist.’ It just hasn’t hit me.

When I was in juniors, I was fighting twice a year and going nine months without fighting.

To be honest, I already felt that I was going to win the gold medal, but with school being so hard I was kind of second-guessing myself. So, when I actually was told that I was going to be able to walk across the stage and be done with high school, it was such a relief.

I sign a lot of autographs and take a lot of pictures. That’s why I’ve always got to keep my hair done now.

A woman can beat me the day I stop working hard. I work so hard in the gym, it would be stupid of me to doubt myself. For me, I know that I’m unbeatable. You can put me in there with whoever.

I grew up on North Saginaw, the north side of Flint, which is considered the worst part and I was able to make it; I was able to make it by just making smart decisions from a very young age.

Flint is not a hopeless city and I mean that.

I’m just the undisputed champion – I am great as I think I am and I’ve been able to prove it by taking on these big challenges and beating these girls who they say cannot be beaten.

At the end of the day, no matter what you do, there will be somebody that don’t like you. You don’t have to like me, but you will respect what I do.

The biggest motivation for me is becoming a three-division world champion faster than any other boxer, male or female.

I slept with my gold medal.

I just love boxing. Train to get there and to just fight somebody.

At the end of the day, I am the cash cow in women’s boxing.