Claressa Shields credits a “tough” upbringing in Flint, Michigan, with helping her fight, not just in the boxing ring but against sexism and racism in sports.
“I think my upbringing made me who I’m supposed to be, especially for being a boxer,” Shields shared in our recent interview.
“It made me tough already before I got to the professionals — where you have to fight for equality, fight for equal pay, fight for equal time, opportunity, it was like I was already used to fighting. So me adding that fight to my list, being able to accomplish and knock down some of those doors, I think Flint prepared me for that,” the current WBC women’s heavyweight boxing champion explained.
Amazon MGM Studios released a new biopic about Shields titled The Fire Inside on Christmas Day.
Related: ‘The Fire Inside’ Trailer: Ryan Destiny Shines as Golden Girl Boxer Claressa Shields
Directed by Black Panther cinematographer Rachel Morrison, the film stars actress Ryan Destiny (Star) as Shields.
The biopic follows Shields when she was just a high school junior in Flint and her journey to becoming the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing at the 2012 Summer Olympics.
The boxing champion soon finds out that winning a gold medal doesn’t guarantee fame and fortune, and it’s even harder for women athletes to get sponsorships.
However, with the help of family, friends, and her inspiring coach Jason Crutchfield (played by Brian Tyree Henry) — she soon learns that she can be the change the sports world needs.
In our interview, Destiny spoke about the importance of getting the role right.
“I think playing [Shields] came with its own set of challenges. It’s a real-life person that you’re playing and on top of that, she is who she is,” the actress said. “So I definitely had a little pressure put on myself and I knew that the story was so important that I felt that I had to get everything I could get right.”
Though, according to Shields, Destiny had nothing to worry about.
“I was very impressed in Ryan Destiny’s physique and her boxing skills. I can tell that she put a whole lot of time in training, and honestly I couldn’t tell the difference between me and her,” Shields said.
She continued, “If you would of put some of my old footage side by side with her footage, you would be like, ‘wow.’ You know she definitely was able to mimic those parts. You can tell she really trained in boxing. I was really proud of the film and definitely proud of her.”
The Fire Inside is now playing in theaters nationwide.
Below is the interview with Shields and Destiny:
