The self-proclaimed greatest female boxer of all time just added another title to her already impressive list of accomplishments.
Claressa Shields, the Flint native boxer who is coming off of a dominant title defense in her home state, recently became the first woman to win the “Best Boxer” ESPY award.
ESPY Awards, short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award, are given out yearly by ABC and ESPN to recognize excellence in individual and team sports.
Awards are handed out during the 2023 ESPYs broadcast, airing at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, on ABC.
Shields was interviewed during a pre-show event in Los Angeles where she learned that she would be receiving the award.
“AAAAHHHHHH, you are lying – you are lying,” Shields screamed. Here is her reaction to the announcement.
Claressa Shields raises up her new belt after defeating Marie Eve Dicaire by unanimous decision on Friday, March 5, 2021 at Dort Financial Center in Flint, becoming the first boxer in history, male or female, to win undisputed championships in two weight divisions. All three judges scored the bout 100-90. SheÕs now the undisputed super welterweight champion after previously winning the undisputed middleweight title. Shields retained her WBC and WBO junior middleweight titles while claiming Dicaire’s IBF crown and the vacant WBA world title. (Jake May | MLive.com)
Shields went live on Facebook to recap and celebrate the award. She thanked everyone who voted in her favor.
“This is huge,” Shields said. “… An ESPY is like getting a gold medal in sport. It’s one of the highest achievements you can get as an athlete.”
Shields was nominated alongside three male boxers – Gervonta Davis, Devin Haney and Shakur Stevenson.
She has yet to schedule her next fight after handily beating Maricela Cornejo at Little Caesers Arena last month. She’s won two Olympic gold medals and has held titles in three different weight classes.
Shields heartily celebrates with the ESPYS trophy for best boxer 2023 – the first ever female to achieve the feat
Several honorees have already been announced: the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team will be given the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage; Chicago White Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks will be honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance as a cancer survivor and the Buffalo Bills training staff will be awarded with the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
The public can vote for several of the awards each year, but the voting period for the 2023 ESPYs has already ended.
The ESPYs raise awareness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research, a charity ESPN founded to honor former basketball coach Jim Valvano.
Credit: Flint Journal
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