“I Overlooked How Much My Sister Started Disliking Me”: Claressa Shields Gets Emotional Over Strained Relationship With Family
Multi-division champion Claressa Shields has opened up about her relationship with her family. The undefeated women’s champion is slated to appear in the ring against Brooklyn’s Danielle Perkins on February 2nd at the Dort Federal Event Center in her hometown of Flint, Michigan. Ahead of her planned bout, ‘T-Rex’ appeared in the Art of Ward Podcast alongside Andre Ward.
As the pair discussed Shields’ career, Ward brought up Shields’ fame and money, which she has garnered over the years through her successful run in the sport. Ward, a former world champion himself, pressed the Flint native about how her success has affected her relationship with her family and whether her fame has changed them.
Shields claimed despite helping the people in her life with the bills and material things, they ended up wanting more from her. “I bought every last one of my siblings a car,” she said. “My mama a house, my mama two cars, my daddy a car. [I] helped [my dad] with his bills, help mama with her bills, help my sister take care of her three kids.”
The undefeated world champion claimed that her sister Briana’s three children have been living with her. “[I] go there, sit with the teachers, go to teacher conferences, I do all this stuff and it seemed like the more you do, the more that they don’t like you,” she added. “I overlooked how much my sister, you know, started disliking me.”
Shields asserted that she had “done nothing to” Briana, but her sister eventually changed, as Shields could not help but get emotional. “You work so hard to make all this money and to have a good life for yourself and then the people who you wanna share it with, they just change on you,” Shields said.
“People say it’s lonely at the top but damn, this lonely,” Shields reflected as she got teary-eyed. She highlighted that the people in her life feel like “they deserve my money and they deserve my time and they deserve to tell me who I can and can’t hang around it.” The 29-year-old told Ward that “Family shouldn’t be like that.”
During the same podcast, Shields also shed light on a potential fight between her and a women’s boxing legend, which never happened.
Claressa Shields reveals why the fight with Laila Ali never happened
Claressa Shields recently shared insights into why a fight with Laila Ali never materialized during her appearance on the podcast. According to Shields, the financial terms Ali wanted were eventually met, but Ali couldn’t secure clearance to fight. “Me fighting her right now is still the biggest fight in women’s boxing,” Shields added.
“You got all the Amanda Serranos and Katie Taylors, but Claressa Shields vs. Laila Ali—even in an exhibition—is still the biggest fight in the world for women’s boxing. So why would I turn that down?” The rivalry between Shields and Ali reached its peak in 2020, sparking hopes for a historic showdown.
While Ali, 46, is unlikely to return to the ring, Shields continues to dominate, pursuing a historic fourth undisputed title. For now, the dream of Shields vs. Ali remains one of boxing’s greatest what-ifs.
That said, it appears despite achieving unparalleled success in boxing, Claressa Shields is still struggling in her personal life, especially with the changes her success has brought. What do you think about the issues causing her pain?
