FLINT – Two-time Olympic gold medalist and undisputed WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion Claressa Shields has been nominated for Black Entertainment Television’s Sportswoman of the Year award.
Shields, an undefeated world champion, took to her social media accounts yesterday to announce that she has been nominated for BET Awards’ Sportswoman of the Year.
“Thank you BET for recognizing the GWOAT and showing love to women’s boxing amongst so many other great women,” Shields wrote on her X account.
The Flint native, who was nominated in 2020 and 2021 for the award, is the first female boxer to ever be nominated, which will be announced at the BET Awards on June 9 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, Calif.
Other nominees for Sportswoman of the Year include Angel Reese, Simone Biles, A’ja Wilson, Coco Gauff, Dawn Staley, JuJu Watkins, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Flau’jae Johnson. Reese, a WNBA star for the Chicago Sky, has won the award the past two years.
Since the award’s origination for both men and women in 2001, no boxer has won it. Gervonta Davis was the last boxing nominee in 2024, when New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson won the award.
Shields (16-0) is scheduled to fight New Zealand’s Lani “The Smiling Assassin” Daniels (11-2-2) July 26 at Little Caesars Arena.
